Sen. Markey: ‘As America Confronts This Moral Reckoning On Justice, John Lewis Must Continue To Be Our North Star’

The following is a statement from U.S. Senate Ed markey on the passing of Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. Rep. Lewis died over the weekend from cancer. He was a civil rights icon.

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BOSTON – “Congressman John Lewis knew better than anyone how to build and lead a movement that modeled the kind of world we want to create. He was a man of integrity, intelligence, and clarity of purpose, and his spirit flowed through every single protester on America’s streets chanting Black Lives Matters and making good trouble. They are all John Lewis’s children, and his legacy will be found in the lasting change we must create in the weeks, months, and years ahead. John Lewis walked across Edmund Pettus Bridge and never stopped fighting for equality, and neither should we. As America confronts this moral reckoning on justice, John Lewis must continue to be our North Star,” said U.S. Senator Ed Markey.

“John Lewis dedicated his life to others. He didn’t simply fight for civil rights and equality, he fought for the very soul of this country. He once wrote, ‘Love is the willingness to sacrifice, to be beaten, to go to jail, to be killed for the betterment of society rather than live out your life in silence.’  John Lewis loved the United States of America and the promise of our democracy. His entire life was dedicated to love – the love that comes from faith in the divine, forgiveness for hurt, and dedication to truth,” said Sen. Markey.

“I served alongside him for more than two decades, and whether it was working together on arms control, low-income heating assistance, net neutrality, or climate change, his work was animated by love of humankind, especially those too often forgotten or silenced. John Lewis was conscience, compass, and moral touchstone for Congress. For me, he was an inspiration and a leader I was blessed to know,” said the Massachusetts Democrat. “The Lewis family is in my prayers, and I know John will forever be in the hearts of this country.”