Rep. John Lewis, Prominent Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80

July 18, 2020 - Nation

By Jade Esteban Estrada - Political Columnist, San Antonio Sentinel

This weekend, leaders from around the country are remembering Rep. John Lewis, a celebrated leader of the civil rights movement who lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on Friday. He was 80 years old. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, confirmed his death in a statement. 

Lewis, a son of sharecroppers, marched alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in March 1961. He was also one of the original 13 Freedom Riders who challenged segregated interstate travel in the South that same year. As the founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he coordinated lunch-counter sit-ins and he helped organize the March on Washington, where King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In many ways, his life was aligned with the history of the civil rights movement.

Lewis’ advocacy led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law that eliminated the literacy tests that Black people were obliged to take before they could register to vote. The law, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, also replaced segregationist voting registrars with federal registrars to ensure that Black people would not longer be denied, directly or indirectly, the right to vote. 

“Rep. John Lewis was an icon of the civil rights movement, and he leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten,” tweeted White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Saturday morning. “We hold his family in our prayers, as we remember Rep. John Lewis’ incredible contributions to our country.”

“Our country has lost a leader, a Civil Rights hero, and a relentless champion for justice who changed our nation for the better,” said Gina Ortiz Jones, the Democratic nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. “Tonight, we mourn. Tomorrow, we will continue making good trouble in his honor. Rest in Peace, Congressman John Lewis.”

Former President Barack Obama took to Facebook to remember Lewis, who was one of his heroes. He said it was fitting that the last time he and Lewis shared a public forum was at a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who were helping lead this summer’s demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“Afterwards, I spoke to him privately, and he could not have been prouder of their efforts - of a new generation standing up for freedom and equality, a new generation intent on voting and protecting the right to vote, a new generation running for political office,” Obama posted. “I told him that all those young people - of every race, from every background and gender and sexual orientation - they were his children. They had learned from his example, even if they didn't know it. They had understood through him what American citizenship requires, even if they had heard of his courage only through history books.”

Many Americans will remember the civil rights icon for his vision of a more perfect union.

“Do not get lost in a sea of despair,” Lewis tweeted in 2018. “Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Jade Esteban Estrada is a political columnist at the San Antonio Sentinel. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.