John Lewis, an iconic figure of nonviolence and civil rights in the United States, former traveling companion of Martin Luther King, died at the age of 80, announced the House of Representatives on Friday. The son of sharecroppers, this African-American was at the age of 21 one of the youngest Freedom Riders who fought against segregation in the American transport system in the early 1960s. He became one of the voices the country's most respected for justice and equality. John Lewis suffered from pancreatic cancer.
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"One of the greatest heroes in American history"
"America today deplores the disappearance of one of the greatest heroes in American history," said Nancy Pelosi, president of the House of Representatives, in a statement. John Lewis was a parliamentarian for decades after almost succumbing to police beatings, notably in 1965 during a peaceful march against racial discrimination in Alabama. In 2015, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this "Bloody Sunday", he crossed the bridge alongside President Barack Obama.
"Pioneer of civil rights"
Tributes have multiplied, especially in the republican camp with Mitch McConnell, President of the Senate: this "pioneer of civil rights who did not hesitate to put his life at stake to fight racism, promote equal rights and place our nation in accordance with its founding principles. " Despite his cancer, he returned to Washington in June in the midst of the George Floyd affair in Minneapolis. He had participated in the mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial discrimination.