Rep. John Lewis has reportedly passed away at 80 years old. The longtime legislator from the Atlanta was in hospice care in Georgia at the time of his passing.
Lewis is well known for his work within the Civil Rights Movement. Serving as chairman of the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee, he helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and participated in the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. He also helped SNCC open Freedom Schools and lead the Mississippi Freedom Summer.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Lewis. His life-long mission for justice, equality and freedom left a permanent impression on our nation and world. The NAACP extends our sincerest condolences to his family, and we send prayers of comfort and strength to all.
— NAACP (@NAACP) July 18, 2020
As a political figure, Lewis has served 17 terms within the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, he has served as Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003.
As a result of his courageous work, he was awarded with the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and memorialized in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After spending more than four decades fighting for equality and inclusion within the United States, it was announced that had stage four pancreatic cancer.
His wife, Lilian Miles, passed away in 2012. He is survived by his son, John Miles Lewis.
