John Lewis, the ‘Conscience of the U.S. Congress’ loses his battle with pancreatic cancer

27th July 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer

Louisianians joined other Americans in honoring the life and legacy of longtime congressman and civil rights leader John R. Lewis, who died on July 17 at the age of 80.

Lewis served as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966 and served as one of the “Big Six” leaders who organized the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis headed the 1965 marches from Selma to Montgomery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and he was one of several unarmed activists who were attacked by police at the Pettus Bridge in an event later dubbed “Bloody Sunday.”

Lewis was then elected to Congress in Georgia in 1986 and subsequently served for 17 terms, representing Atlanta, a tenure during which he became the dean of Georgia’s delegation in Congress.

“As I painfully mourn the loss of my mentor, colleague, dear friend, and American legend, Congressman John Robert Lewis, I know my words will never be able to do justice to someone of such monumental significance,” U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., said in a statement. “Congressman Lewis blessed our nation with his endearing presence and through his unwavering commitment to peace, justice and equality for all. While I struggle to accept this loss, we should all be heartened by the far-reaching impact of his voice, activism, and sacrifices throughout his lifetime of service.”

Richmond went on to say, “His belief in the power of protest and the mobilization of young folks was apparent from his formative years until his last breath. A fearless fighter, he never let intimidation or police brutality stop him from fighting on the frontlines in America’s battle for justice. It was this dogged determination that made way for long lasting, meaningful change in this country.”

In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered flags at City facilities to be flown at half-staff in honor of Lewis and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, another civil rights leader from Atlanta who also passed away on July 17.

“Words can never do justice to the legacy and the heroism of John Lewis,” Cantrell. “Impossible to overstate his contributions to moving our nation and our people forward, impossible to articulate the magnitude of this loss. The world is a little more dim with his passing, but it is left impossibly better by the life he lived and the work he lived for. May he rest in God’s perfect peace.”

New Orleans City Councilwo-man Cyndi Nguyen expressed similar sentiments to The Louisiana Weekly.

“Congressman Lewis was a major contributor to the equal rights of African Americans and the Civil Rights Movement,” Nguyen said. “He was the last surviving speaker at the March on Washington, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in 1963. He was only 23 years old at the time, his legacy must be honored.”

Lewis showed concern and care for New Orleans throughout his life and career. He participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961 that were planned to conclude in New Orleans as their final destination. However, he and other activists never completed the long bus ride to New Orleans after being stopped and arrested in Jackson, Miss.

Lewis did visit New Orleans in July 1978, while he was serving as director of domestic operations for ACTION, a former federal volunteer agency. Lewis was welcomed locally by Mayor Sidney Barthelemy as the congressman was touring the South on a volunteer recruitment drive for VISTA, a national anti-poverty service agency that still exists.

In September 2005, Lewis penned a scathing commentary for Newsweek after visiting a New Orleans recently ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. In the guest column, Lewis vented his frustration about the federal government’s inability and unwillingness to both prepare for the storm and react to the devastation adequately.

“It becomes very discouraging where you see people dying – children, the elderly, the sick – the lack of food and water,” Lewis wrote. “I’ve cried a lot of tears the past few days as I watched television – to see somebody lying dead outside the convention center. I went to Somalia in 1992 and I saw little babies dying before my eyes. This reminded me of Somalia. But this is America. We’re not a Third World country. This is an embarrassment. It’s a shame. It’s a national disgrace.”

However, Lewis also wrote fondly of the Crescent City in the column, stating that he had the chance to visit New Orleans many times over the years.

“It’s one of my favorite cities, one of the great Southern cities,” he wrote. “The people are friendly, warm, helpful. In the old part of the city, there’s so much history when you walk down Canal Street or Royal. One of my favorite places is a shop on Royal, where they have lots of art posters by African-American artists.”

This article originally published in the July 27, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.