North Jersey Officials Remember Congressman John Lewis

NEW JERSEY — Civil rights icon and longtime Georgia Congressman John Lewis died on Friday night, seven months after he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80-years-old.

Lewis' reputation and work proceeded him in life, and places him in rare air in death.

He was a pillar of the civil rights movement and the youngest keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, the same protest where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981, Lewis won his first congressional race five years later, and was re-elected every two years since.

His long career in Congress left a lasting impact on those who served alongside him, and the many who idolized him.

A weekend news release from the office of Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. said the New Jersey Congressman was "in deep mourning."

"John Lewis is not just my friend and my colleague but my hero and the hero of every member of our Congress. It is a rare privilege to serve beside your idol for over 20 years and I have had that privilege. It is no exaggeration to state that John Lewis changed America. Standing beside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other giants, it was John’s courage that helped finally pull our nation towards equality for all Americans. John is a giant and one of the great Americans of the last century.

John’s voice is irreplaceable. The best we can do is try to live up to his courage to make America a better place. I am devastated by John’s passing," said Pascrell.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer remembered Lewis' legacy, but also shared a memory of one of their last moments together.

"I’ll never forget the last hug he gave me, when I told him how much he meant to me, how much I appreciated his counsel, and all he did for me, he whispered back, "Just stay strong, my brother."

"Congressman John Lewis was a legend and an American icon, and his presence will always loom large over the House and our great nation," said Gottheimer.

Congresswoman Mikie Sherill said Lewis "was living proof that this country can improve."

"John Lewis inspired countless Americans across generations with a life dedicated to service and getting into ‘good trouble.’ He had a vision for a better America, shouldered the weight of change, and put his own safety on the line so that others could live with dignity and grace. He did more to advance equality and justice than any one person should be called upon to do. He continued that struggle in the House of Representatives, and led us as the conscience of the Congress."

"I know John Lewis was a man of deep faith and I pray that his spirit will always guide us as we continue the work of systemic change. He charted a path for us. May we all commit to walk in his footsteps," said Sherill.

Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco shared a Facebook post of his meeting with Lewis.

Sen. Cory Booker spoke with Joy Reid on MSNBC Saturday. Reid asked Booker about the irony of Republican statements praising the life and work of Lewis, while many of those same people continue to oppose the Voting Rights Act, to which he said reading those words was "painful."

The Voting Rights Act, originally signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, effectively prohibited racial discrimination in voting. John Lewis was in attendance as Johnson signed the bill into law, as were Dr. King and Rosa Parks.

Sections of the legislation were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, and Lewis had been fighting since to restore the act in full, despite opposition from Republican leadership.

"This was the power and the beauty of John Lewis. From the time he was a teenager to his last moments he was a ferocious fighter. And don't mistake his towering humility and his deep abiding kindness, in many ways those are what made him so impactful because they were combined with an unrelenting insistence upon justice, and a demand of us all that we cause trouble," said Booker.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell told the Wall Street Journal in an interview last week that voter suppression is essentially a non-issue.

"There's very little tangible evidence of this whole voter-suppression nonsense that the Democrats are promoting," he said.

Now, an effort to fully restore the Voting Rights Act in Lewis' honor is in full swing, multiple outlets report.

For more on the life and legacy of John Lewis, read the Patch obituary here:
Civil Rights Titan, Georgia Congressman John Lewis Dead At Age 80