Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 7-24-20

Political
House Seeks Ways To Honor John Lewis
Lawmakers are seeking ways to honor the legacy of the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), from possibly lying in state in the Capitol to pushing for an expansion of voting rights that he spent his lifetime defending.
Democrats returning to Washington on Monday three days after Lewis died from pancreatic cancer were at turns emotional over the loss of their colleague, and adamant that Lewis will be honored in ways befitting his historic contribu- tions to his country.
What form that takes re- mains very much in the air, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A towering figure like Lewis would normally receive the honor of lying in state in the Capitol rotunda, but it’s un- clear how members of the pub- lic could pay their respects while the building is closed to tourists. Still, many lawmakers are pressing for one of Con- gress's rarest honors.
“If anybody deserves to lie in state here at the Capitol, it's John,” said Rep. Raúl Gri- jalva (D-Ariz.), adding that one of his fondest moments in Congress was getting arrested
REP. JOHN LEWIS
with Lewis during a protest against former President Obama’s immigration poli- cies.
“Not only was he the con- science of the Congress, but he also brought nobility to the po- sition,” Grijalva said. “People like him are irreplaceable.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) sec- onded that idea, saying Lewis “certainly” should lie in state.
“And I think there are a number of other things we ought to do as well,” he added, without offering specifics.
Lewis's family has delayed their service plans until after the burial of the Rev. C. T. Vi- vian, another hero of the civil rights movement who also died Friday. Vivian's services are scheduled for Thursday.
‘I Stood On His Shoulders:’ Barack Obama Remembers And Tributes John Lewis
Last Saturday, former Pres- ident Barack Obama gave props to now late Congress- man and civil rights legend John Lewis and his “enor- mous impact” on America’s history.
Obama recollected that his election as the first Black pres- ident was possible because of the sacrifices of John Lewis.
“I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my he- roes. Years later, when I was elected a U. S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoul- ders,” Obama wrote in a state- ment following Lewis’ death. “When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made.”
Obama said Lewis “never stopped providing wisdom and encouragement to me” and for- mer first lady Michelle, and their family. “We will miss him dearly,” he said
As we reported, Lewis, a De- mocrat who served as the U. S. representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District for more than three decades, died Friday at the age of 80 after a six-month battle with cancer.
He was a Freedom Rider in
President Obama presents John Lews with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
the early 1960s, a keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington, and helped lead a march in 1965 for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala- bama, where he and other marchers were brutally beaten by police.
Lewis had described at- tending Obama’s 2009 inau- guration as an “out-of-body” experience.
“When we were organizing voter-registration drives, going on the Freedom Rides, sitting in, coming here to Washington for the first time, getting ar- rested, going to jail, being beaten, I never thought — I never dreamed — of the possi- bility that an African American would one day be elected pres- ident of the United States,” he said at the time.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020