‘Thank you King John:’ Tributes pour for civil rights icon John Lewis
Presidents, rappers and luminaries from across the globe and all walks of life paid poignant tribute Saturday to civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, a day after he died from cancer.
Former President Barack Obama portrayed Lewis as a rare hero who had a vision for change, and lived to see it realized through his own actions.
“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did,” Obama wrote on Twitter.
Hip hop entrepreneur P Diddy called the Georgia Democrat a “King” among Black leaders.
“Thank you King John Lewis for your lifetime of service for our community,” Diddy wrote.
Lewis, who died Friday night at 80, drew an outpouring from an unusually broad spectrum of prominent people from the worlds of pop culture as well as public service.
Lewis grabbed the imagination of the nation as a young man when he was brutally beaten by racist white police in Selma, Ala., during the civil rights struggle.
He became a powerful Democratic lawmaker who served for decades in Congress.
Despite a track record as a loyal partisan, many top Republicans joined in the chorus of tributes to Lewis as a salt-of-the-earth man for all people.
“He put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Although President Trump remained conspicuously silent about Lewis Saturday morning, he ordered flags flown at half-staff to honor Lewis.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: “He leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten.”
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