We'll Miss You, John Lewis

We lost one of the good ones. Rep. John Lewis, the icon of the civil rights movement and Democratic force, passed away at the age of 80. Lewis had been battling advanced-stage pancreatic cancer since last December.

Swinging at the establishment for the last 60 years, John Lewis was no stranger to fighting the good fight, leading sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow-era South, along with a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis was also one of the peaceful protestors who were viciously beaten crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.

Lewis believed in a higher calling, a moral obligation to fight against racism, a crooked government, and always stand against oppression, no matter what shape or color was being attacked. For more than three decades, Lewis refused to back down, "I have been in some kind of fight — for freedom, equality, basic human rights — for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now," Lewis said in a December after announcing his cancer diagnosis. "I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross."

Lewis was elected to represent Atlanta in the House of Representatives in 1986, where he fought for health care rights, but also against gun control, using his commanding presence, and masterful oration skills to will his colleagues into action. When the Pulse Nightclub massacre took place in 2016, Lewis took to the House floor, ensuring his vision of America without gun violence was unequivocal, "The time for silence and patience is long gone," he said. "We are calling on the leadership of the House to bring commonsense gun control legislation to the House floor, give us a vote. Where is the heart of this body, where is our soul? Where is our moral leadership? Where is our courage?" For the next two days, Lewis did what he did best: upturn the apple cart and staging a sit-in to demand votes on gun control. The Republicans chose to do nothing. The inaction did not deter Lewis for continuing to be outspoken against crimes committed against humanity.

In the summer of 1961, he, along with other students, protested at segregated lunch counters. He was a Freedom Rider, and by his early 20s, Lewis was head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. And in 1963, he spoke alongside Martin Luther King as a speaker at the March on Washington. His legacy is not a paper tiger, his wounds, scars, and history will live forever in American textbooks – challenging America on voting rights and the future of the Democratic Party. "To those who have said, 'Be patient and wait,'" he said. "We must say that we must not be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now."

In 1965, Lewis marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala, leading peaceful marchers onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge to protest voter registration. They were met by Alabama state troopers looking to rough them up. "In less than a minute and a half, the major said, 'Troopers advance,'" Lewis said in an interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross, "And you saw these men putting on their gas masks. They came toward us beating us with bullwhips, nightsticks, [charging at] us with horses, and releasing the tear gas. I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a nightstick. I thought I was going to die." The Voting Rights Act became law that same year, with that horrific day forever known as "Bloody Sunday." For years after the incident, he remained a figurehead of American politics, pushing us to see one another for our differences and championing them. He was an ardent supporter of President Obama, who he shared a love and affection for, while also being an extremely vocal critic of Trump sliming his way into the White House.

We're lucky to have shared this time on the planet with John Lewis, he inspired generations of activists, challenging us daily on what we saw as good and right, but always while wearing his heart on his sleeve. Lewis was a compass of moral clarity and truth, a North Star who made people better, asked those around him to do better, and lived up to the founder's vision of what a diverse, empowered America could be. He dedicated his life to moving the needle, to make the "good kind of trouble" as he liked to call it. Lewis demanded justice for working people, so that voices not just like his, but of all people could be heard, but more importantly, represented. We'll miss his wisdom and humanity. They don't make them like John Lewis every day, and now it's up to us to continue his message. We must keep his flame lit for generations to come, no matter their background or where they come from. Rest in power.