Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Honored on Birthday Amid Requires Voting Rights Act Passage

Many took to Twitter on Sunday to celebrate the birthday of the late Congressman John Lewis and urged lawmakers to pass a voting bill that would honor his legacy.

Lewis, who died of cancer on July 17, 2020 in Atlanta, would have turned 81. He was a leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He advocated a philosophy of nonviolence and in 1963 became chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Sherrilyn Ifill, attorney and president and director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, honored Lewis in a Sunday tweet calling on lawmakers to support laws that would continue his legacy.

“John Lewis, we answered your call. We voted ‘like never before.’ And we work every day, with greater urgency, to protect the right to vote and ensure the passage of laws that restore your heritage and strengthen our communities” said Ifill.

#JohnLewis We answered your call. We voted “like never before”. And we work every day, and with greater urgency, to protect voting rights and ensure the passage of laws that restore your heritage and strengthen our communities. https://t.co/QbgTopRusB

– Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) February 21, 2021

Ifill’s tweet was in response to a tribute to Lewis from the Legal Defense and Education Fund.

“I know of no other leader in this country with the moral standing of Rep. John Lewis. His life and work have helped to shape the best of our national identity,” she said in the honor.

“We honored him not only for his work and sacrifice during the civil rights movement, but also for his never-ending, tenacious and brilliant determination to press for justice and equality in this country,” added Ifill.

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) is photographed in his office in the Canon House office building in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2009. Lewis would have turned 81 on Sunday.
Photo by Jeff Hutchens / Getty Images / Getty

New York Democratic representative Mondaire Jones echoed Ifill’s views while addressing a tweet from Mike Sacks, a journalist for local New York television station WNYW.

“False allegations of mass voter fraud should never be proven. They should always lay the foundation for another decade of voter suppression,” Jones said in a tweet on Sunday, referring to unsubstantiated claims by former President Donald Trump that it is widespread electoral fraud that will affect the 2020 presidential election.

“Congress can stop this by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” added Jones.

False allegations of mass voter fraud should never be proven. You should always lay the foundation for another decade of voter repression.

Congress can stop this by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. https://t.co/aWv0BRXzse

– Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) February 20, 2021

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would help protect voters from racial discrimination and vote suppression by strengthening the protection afforded under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, also urged Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in a tweet Sunday.

“My friend, mentor and National Treasury MP John Lewis would have turned 81 today. I miss him very much,” said Harrison. “He was a happy and hopeful warrior. We must all try to live up to his legacy.”

“Our gift to him should be the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” added Harrison.

My friend, mentor and National Treasury MP John Lewis would have turned 81 today. I miss him much! He was a happy and hopeful warrior. We must all try to live up to its legacy.

Our gift to him should be the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act! #HappyBirthdayMrLewis pic.twitter.com/2KXC4N2UiH

– Jaime Harrison, DNC Chairman (@harrisonjaime) February 21, 2021

California Democratic Representative Mike Levin shared Harrison’s views and said the suffrage bill should be passed in honor of Lewis.

“Today would have been Rep. John Lewis 81. I will always appreciate that my wife and I were allowed to travel to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham with John. It was an incredible honor to serve with him,” Levin said in a Sunday- Tweet.

“To honor his legacy, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act must become law in the country,” Levin continued.

Rep. John Lewis would have turned 81 today. I will always appreciate that my wife and I were allowed to travel to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham with John. It was an incredible honor to serve with him. To honor his legacy, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act must become law in the country. pic.twitter.com/7nFOYfCKUL

– Mike Levin (@MikeLevin) February 21, 2021

As many took to Twitter to honor Lewis, volunteers in Atlanta, Georgia, planted 300 trees over the weekend to celebrate Lewis’ birthday.

Newsweek reached out to the Legal Protection and Education Fund but didn’t hear back in time for the release.