DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – Civil rights icon and Democratic Congressman John Lewis has died at age 80.
Following the death of U.S. Representative Lewis of Georgia, Texas Senator John Cornyn issued a statement. “John Lewis has left an indelible mark on the hearts of not only those in his home state of Georgia, but all over our nation and across the world.“He will be remembered for many things, but his tireless work as a civil rights leader and dedication to fighting for the oppressed changed the course of history.“Sandy and I will be praying for his family and all those who were touched by his life as we mourn this collective loss.”
Lewis was the last survivor of the big six civil rights activists, led by the Martin Luther King Jr. He was best known for leading 600 protesters in the 1965 Bloody Sunday March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by state troopers. Televised images forced the country’s attention on racial oppression. A democrat from Atlanta, Lewis won his U.S. house seat in 1986.
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