Terri Sewell: Remembering our beloved John Lewis

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Terri Sewell_Selma Bloody Sunday 50th Anniversary

This past week has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. The loss of Congressman John Lewis, a Civil Rights hero, a dedicated public servant and true patriot, cannot be overstated. John devoted his life to this country which he loved so much. Born one of ten children to sharecroppers in Alabama’s rural Black Belt, John had a vision for our country, and he was willing to risk everything for the realization of his vision. John’s call was divine. Though he was beaten and bloodied on the Edmund Pettus Bridge; though he was arrested over forty times; and though he encountered the vile vitriol of racism, he never gave up. He never stopped getting into good trouble.

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As a daughter of Selma, John was always a larger than life figure – someone whose story I knew like the back of my hand. As a little girl, singing in the Children’s Choir at Brown Chapel AME, my home church and the safe haven where John and so many others sought shelter on Bloody Sunday, I could never have imagined that one day I would have the extraordinary honor of calling Congressman Lewis my colleague, mentor, or most importantly, my friend. John, “the Boy from Troy” paved the way for this “Girl from Selma” to walk the halls of Congress and taught me so much of what it means to be an effective legislator—how to fight the good fight and stay persistent in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. I will forever be grateful for the time John invested in me, for his unwavering support and for his unconditional love.

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Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives about the legacy of Congressman Lewis and the importance of upholding his legacy by passing the renamed “John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act” through both chambers of Congress. A full transcript of those remarks is copied below, and the link may be found here.

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Though it is with a heavy heart, we must continue onward, knowing that John would have wanted us to continue fighting the good fight. He dedicated his life to voting rights, and I promise that I will continue to fight for voting rights, just like John would have wanted. May we honor his legacy and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, ensuring equal access to the ballot box for all Americans. 

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell is in her fifth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District. She is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in her own right and is the first black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation.