NC leaders honor civil rights leader and longtime Congressman John Lewis

Political leaders of both parties from around the state paid their respects over the weekend to longtime congressman and prominent civil rights leader John Lewis.

Lewis, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December, died Friday at the age of 80.

Lewis came to prominence during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and was dubbed one of the “Big Six” leaders at the age of 23.

In 2018, Lewis attended a get-out-the-vote rally with Democratic U.S. Reps. Alma Adams of Charlotte and G.K. Butterfield of Wilson, as well as Kathy Manning, who is now the Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 6.

“Last night, we lost a giant among us. Congressman Lewis taught us to lead with love, not hate,” Manning said in an emailed statement. “To speak up, speak out, and keep getting into ‘good trouble’. He set an extraordinary example as a civil rights leader, a public servant, and the conscience of our nation. Congressman Lewis will be remembered for his passion, dignity, humanity, and perseverance to never stop fighting for what is right.”

“John Lewis: Good Trouble” is a CNN documentary about Lewis and the civil rights movement. Lewis has been associated with the phrase since at least 2016, when he said at a college commencement that Martin Luther King Jr. had inspired him to “get into trouble, good trouble” and urged students to do the same.

In Raleigh, President of Saint Augustine’s University Irving Pressley McPhail said the school’s flags are at half staff in Lewis’ honor. “During this unprecedented time in America’s history, re-dedicating ourselves to the cause of freedom and being co-creators of a greater humanity is one way in which we can honor him,” McPhail said in an emailed statement to The News & Observer.

Butterfield posted on Twitter, “From the streets of Selma to the Halls of Congress, an original Freedom Rider and a forever freedom fighter, John Lewis dedicated his life to the cause of justice and equality and will always be remembered for his humility and strength.”

Adams, who a week ago had to retract a Twitter post offering condolences when it was sent prematurely, said Saturday:

“America has lost its greatest living hero. Everything John Lewis did was in the service of Justice. He gave everything — including his blood and his body — to the Civil Rights Movement. From Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to the floor of the House of Representatives, John was never afraid to put it all on the line for what he believed in.”

Lewis and other marchers for voting rights were beaten by law enforcement officials upon crossing the Alabama bridge in 1965. The scene, captured by television cameras, marked a turning point in the fight for civil rights.

Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat who was first elected to the U.S. House with Lewis in 1986, called Lewis’ life “a uniquely American story.”

“His love of our country was expressed in his lifelong determination that it redeem its failures and live up to its democratic promise. His moral clarity in the face of injustice harnessed the power of everyday people to demand equality in the eyes of the law, a fair chance at a better life, and inclusion in the ‘beloved community,’” Price said in a statement.

Price cited Lewis’ passion for voting and voting rights and said Lewis spent a lifetime “telling the story of the movement and calling our country and all of us to our better selves.”

“His personal combination of humility, a prophetic faith, dogged determination, and conviction of the value and potential of every human being was, in my experience, absolutely unique. His death leaves a huge void, but his memory compels us to carry forward his vision and the struggles it requires.”

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina also paid tribute to Lewis.

“John Lewis was a titan who fought for justice and equality for all,” said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in a tweet. “His legacy as a civil rights leader will continue to have a profound impact on our nation for generations to come.”

“John Lewis crossed bridges to bring us together,” said U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, a Republican from Greensboro, in a tweet. “May we forever honor his legacy by never letting the forces of division, hatred and evil tear down the bridges that so many have sacrificed to build. John, you were a friend and a role model – to us all.”

Walker included a picture of himself with Lewis on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986 and for the first 15 years he was in office, The Los Angeles Times recalls in its obituary, he repeatedly introduced a bill that would create an African American museum in Washington, D.C. The bill was blocked every time by then-North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, a longtime segregationist.

Helms retired in 2003, the law passed and was signed by President George W. Bush. The museum opened in 2016.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, posted on Twitter: “Rep. Lewis was faithful unto death to the beloved community, & his life calls for us to do the same. I will remember that Rep. Lewis, in the face of injustice, spoke unflinchingly, stood unrelentingly, lived completely, and died nobly.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2020 at 8:24 PM with the headline "NC leaders honor civil rights leader and longtime Congressman John Lewis."