Minnesota’s state and federal buildings lowering flags to honor Rep. John Lewis
In this Thursday, May 10, 2007 file photo, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., in his office on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. [AP Photo/Susan Walsh]
Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday directed all flags at state and federal buildings in Minnesota to be flown at half-staff, effective immediately, until sunset to honor Representative John Lewis, who passed away on Friday.
From an early age, Lewis dedicated his life to advancing justice, equality, liberty, and fairness.
“I will always be grateful to have served in Congress with John Lewis, a civil rights leader who never gave up on building a more fair, more equal country,” said Walz. “His heart, his ideas, and his legacy will forever be etched in history.”
Atlanta lowering flags indefinitely to honor Rep. John Lewis
“Representative John Lewis was an extraordinary force for justice, from his organizing work in the streets of Selma to the halls of Congress,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “While we are heartbroken by his passing, we’re more committed than ever to keep making good trouble on his behalf.”
Individuals, businesses, and other organizations also are encouraged to join in lowering their flags to honor Lewis, who was a valiant stalwart of the Civil Rights movement – one of the original Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery, and a member of Congress representing the people of Georgia for 33 years.
A timeline of events in the life of Rep. John Lewis