US congressman John Lewis, civil rights icon, dead at 80

WASHINGTON — John Lewis, the civil rights warrior who died on Friday aged 80, excelled at what he liked to call “good trouble” — standing up against racial injustice to forge a better United States.

The African-American icon marched with Martin Luther King Jr, was nearly beaten to death by police, and later as a sitting congressman was arrested multiple times for protesting genocide or leading immigration reform sit-ins.

“From a historical standpoint, there are few who are able to become giants,” Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the civil rights icon, told CNN. “John Lewis really became a giant through his examples that he set for all of us.” 

Lewis was a sharecropper’s son whose fights for justice helped define an era, and whose moral authority as an indomitable elder statesman left a permanent imprint in Congress.

He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in late 2019.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted this on Saturday: “Rep. John Lewis was an icon of the civil rights movement, and he leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten. We hold his family in our prayers, as we remember Rep. John Lewis’ incredible contributions to our country.”

The flag at the White House flew at half-staff on Saturday. House speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be lowered as well.