We mourn the loss of Congressman John Lewis, an iconic figure driven by values of equity and human dignity. His ideas and his values drove his actions, and he often risked his life and physical well-being for his strong sense of morality. No matter what situation he was presented with, he did not seem to get down and instead he fought hard to get a better result, not only for himself, but for others in his situation. His attitudes reflected his everlasting hope for the more perfect union that we strive for.
I had a chance to meet him for a few minutes before he accepted the U.S. Holocaust’s Museum’s Elie Wiesel Award for 2016. In our brief discussion, he seemed very humble and approachable, and wanted to hear about my work at the U.S. Department of Education and my first litigation assignment, helping to desegregate the Wilcox County public schools, eighteen years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Wilcox County was just a few counties down the road from his home county, Pike County, and while he shared some of his experiences in the Pike County public schools, he wanted to hear more about what I had encountered in Wilcox County.
Congressman Lewis had an exceptional moral compass, directing him to take on many issues and in all of them work for the dignity and the rights of all people. We will miss his strong commitment to what is right, and his eternal optimism; his memory will encourage us to build on his legacy.
