Dear Member of Congress:
The death of Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights giant, has had a profound impact on people around the world. Public officials both national and international have offered moving words of praise and admiration in honor of the remarkable life and legacy of Mr. Lewis. There is no greater way to pay tribute to Mr. Lewis than by turning those laudatory words into action. It is in this spirit that The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the 154 undersigned organizations write to urge you to honor the life and legacy of the late Representative John Lewis by passing federal legislation to safeguard the fundamental right to vote. Mr. Lewis helped lead the historic 1965 march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama – sustaining a cracked skull at the hands of state troopers – and he spent the next half century at the helm of the nation’s fight for voting rights and equality. Mr. Lewis was a civil rights icon, an American hero, and the conscience of the Congress.
Read the full letter here.
