On July 17, the country marked the anniversary of the death of Democratic Congressman John Lewis with various public events, including the launching of a naval vessel named after him in San Diego, California.
The ceremony was attended by family members of the prominent civil rights activist, as well as a number of officials. “This vessel will serve as a beacon for all people in the world who will see in it a reminder of the perseverance and courage that characterized John Lewis’s struggle for civil rights,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking at the ceremony, commemorate Lewis’ memory with legislative acts. “We must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in memory of his civil rights struggle,” said Congressman Jim Cliburn. And Marcus Tyner, Lewis’s nephew, quoted his famous uncle as saying: “If you see something dishonest, something wrong, something unfair, you have to say something, you have to do something.”
Newspaper headline:
America remembers
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