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On the passing of John Lewis, US Congressman and Civil Rights leader:
From Former President Barack Obama - who gave John Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
"In so many ways, John’s life was exceptional. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do ....
"He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect.
"And it’s because he saw the best in all of us that he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union."
From Senator Mitch McConnell (R)
"I will never forget joining hands with John as members of Congress sang We Shall Overcome at a 2008 ceremony honoring his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It could not have been more humbling to consider what he had suffered and sacrificed so those words could be sung in that place."
And from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R)
"Our nation will never be the same without him. There are no words to adequately express the sadness that countless Americans are feeling upon learning this news."
And while condolences and accolades were coming in from across the political spectrum and from across the world, Donald Trump was busy tweeting - attacking Biden, Mary Trump, and praising a FoxNews anchor for a job well done!
In 2019, Lewis condemned some of these very same tweets from Trump:
“I rise with a sense of righteous indignation .... I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there’s no room for racism .... [Trump] sows the seeds of violence and destroys the hopes and dreams of people. The world is watching. They are shocked and dismayed because it seems we have lost our way. As a nation, as a proud and great people.”
The differences between these two men - regarding their honesty and dedication to making our country great - cannot be more stark:
At 21, John Lewis - the son of poor sharecroppers (former slaves) was one of the first 'Freedom Riders' - white and black activists who participated in bus trips through the South in 1961, to protest segregated bus terminals. For their efforts they were threatened, brutally attacked and arrested.
In contrast, at 22, an otherwise healthy, wealthy, and athletic Donald Trump got a draft deferment because of his 'bone spurs' - one of five deferments Trump received during the Vietnam war.
Trump would later attack former Senator John McCain - who had spent over five years in a North Vietnamese prison, saying “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” (While millions of Trump's supporters cheered on!)
John Lewis will be greatly missed. He spent his life making American great, by asking us to live up to it's dream and it's potential. Donald Trump, in contrast, has never been able to see past his own greed and self-importance.
From Former President Barack Obama - who gave John Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
"In so many ways, John’s life was exceptional. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do ....
"He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect.
"And it’s because he saw the best in all of us that he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union."
From Senator Mitch McConnell (R)
"I will never forget joining hands with John as members of Congress sang We Shall Overcome at a 2008 ceremony honoring his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It could not have been more humbling to consider what he had suffered and sacrificed so those words could be sung in that place."
And from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R)
"Our nation will never be the same without him. There are no words to adequately express the sadness that countless Americans are feeling upon learning this news."
And while condolences and accolades were coming in from across the political spectrum and from across the world, Donald Trump was busy tweeting - attacking Biden, Mary Trump, and praising a FoxNews anchor for a job well done!
In 2019, Lewis condemned some of these very same tweets from Trump:
“I rise with a sense of righteous indignation .... I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there’s no room for racism .... [Trump] sows the seeds of violence and destroys the hopes and dreams of people. The world is watching. They are shocked and dismayed because it seems we have lost our way. As a nation, as a proud and great people.”
The differences between these two men - regarding their honesty and dedication to making our country great - cannot be more stark:
At 21, John Lewis - the son of poor sharecroppers (former slaves) was one of the first 'Freedom Riders' - white and black activists who participated in bus trips through the South in 1961, to protest segregated bus terminals. For their efforts they were threatened, brutally attacked and arrested.
In contrast, at 22, an otherwise healthy, wealthy, and athletic Donald Trump got a draft deferment because of his 'bone spurs' - one of five deferments Trump received during the Vietnam war.
Trump would later attack former Senator John McCain - who had spent over five years in a North Vietnamese prison, saying “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” (While millions of Trump's supporters cheered on!)
John Lewis will be greatly missed. He spent his life making American great, by asking us to live up to it's dream and it's potential. Donald Trump, in contrast, has never been able to see past his own greed and self-importance.
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