[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 132 (Monday, July 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Remembering John Lewis

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, a short time ago, a ceremony honoring 
the life of the great Representative John Lewis was held in the Capitol 
Rotunda--the first time in our Nation's history that an African-
American lawmaker had laid in state.
  Last week, I shared my reflections on the life and legacy of John 
Lewis here on the floor. In the story of America, John was one of those 
special heroes whose moral clarity shown out like a beacon for others 
to follow, a North Star who inspired his fellow Americans to join him 
in the glorious work of perfecting our Union.
  Today, as we honor his extraordinary life here in the Capitol, many 
of us--his friends, his colleagues--are filled with a deep sense of 
loss, but I want to share a short message of hope. It seems easy to 
forget that John Lewis was just a teenager when he started the work of 
``redeeming the soul of America,'' as he put it. He was 18 years old 
when he first met Dr. King, 21 when he was arrested as a freedom 
fighter, 25 when he was beaten bloody on a Sunday in Selma.
  The fight for civil rights has always been driven by the righteous 
indignation of our young people, and our time is no different. Once 
again, young people across the country are rising in a mighty movement 
for justice and equality, supported by the vast majority of Americans. 
The memory and legacy of John Lewis's life lives on in each and every 
one of them, and that fills me with hope