PHOTOS: John Lewis – congressman and civil rights activist – a life of extraordinary service

[July 18, 2020: Yahoo News]

John Lewis, a civil rights activist whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, has died. He was 80.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’s passing late Friday night, calling him “one of the greatest heroes of American history.”

“All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague and are heartbroken by his passing,” Pelosi said. “May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’”

The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was “a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles. ”

Lewis’s announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer —....MORE

Editorial Note: Although John Lewis's passing is in no way "Good News", after robust discussion we felt that his 60 plus year loyalty and service to this country, heroism, selflessness, kindness, leadership and inspiration should be celebrated in and above his deeds and accomplishments. Of all commemorative stories available, we selected this one in large part for the photos and timeline of his contributions in an effort to educate readers perhaps less informed about his remarkable life.