On July 17, 2020, Congressman John Lewis passed away after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the age of 80.
Tributes and memorials have sprung up everywhere, but many people were wondering when former President Barack Obama would share his thoughts on the passing of a civil rights legend.
For decades, he fought for civil rights and against racial inequality, and in 2008, he got to see the inauguration of the first Black President of the United States.
One day after news of the congressman's passing, Obama published his personal statement as an essay on Medium. In it, he reflects on what John Lewis meant to him as well as to America as a whole.
"I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my heroes. Years later, when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders. When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made."
"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."
"Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise."
To read Obama's complete statement on Medium, click here.
