Big Apple People
2020.07.18 13:58
존 루이스(John Lewis, 1940-2020) 하원의원 별세
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'미 인권운동의 대부' '미 국회의 양심'
존 루이스 John Lewis (1940-2020)
'미 흑인인권 운동의 대부' '미 국회의 양심' 존 루이스(John Lewis, 1940-2020) 하원의원(조지아주, 민주당)이 17일 췌장암으로 별세했다.
존 루이스 의원은 '흑인 차별법' 짐 크로우법(Jim Crow Law)을 철폐하고 흑인 투표권을 쟁취하기 위해 싸워왔다. 1963년 워싱턴 대행진에서 마틴 루터 킹 주니어와 함께 연단에 오른 최연소 참가자였으며, 1965년 셀마 몽고메리 행진을 주도한 인물 중 한명이었다.
버락 오바마 전 대통령은 성명서에서 "제가 법대에 재학 중 존을 처음 만났고, 저는 그가 제 영웅 중 한 사람이라고 말했습니다. 몇년 후 제가 상원의원에 선출됐을 때 저는 그에게 그의 어깨에 서 있다고 말했습니다. 제가 대통령에 선출됐을 때 저는 맹세하기 전 취임대에서 그를 껴안으며 저는 그의 희생 때문에 그 자리에 있을 뿐이라고 말했습니다"라고 밝혔다.
John Lewis, Towering Figure of Civil Rights Era, Dies at 80 -NYT-
Images of his beating at Selma shocked the nation and led to swift passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. He was later called the conscience of the Congress.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/john-lewis-dead.html
1961낸시 펠로시 하원의장의 존 루이스 의원 별세에 관한 성명서
Pelosi Statement on the Passing of Congressman John Lewis
“Today, America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history: Congressman John Lewis, the Conscience of the Congress.
“John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation – from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years.
“In the halls of the Capitol, he was fearless in his pursuit of a more perfect union, whether through his Voter Empowerment Act to defend the ballot, his leadership on the Equality Act to end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans or his work as a Senior Member of the Ways and Means Committee to ensure that we invest in what we value as a nation.
“Every day of John Lewis’s life was dedicated to bringing freedom and justice to all. As he declared 57 years ago during the March on Washington, standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial: ‘Our minds, souls, and hearts cannot rest until freedom and justice exist for all the people.’ How fitting it is that even in the last weeks of his battle with cancer, John summoned the strength to visit the peaceful protests where the newest generation of Americans had poured into the streets to take up the unfinished work of racial justice. His visit with Mayor Bowser, the Mayor of Washington, painted an iconic picture of justice.
“In the Congress, John Lewis was revered and beloved on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol. All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague, and are heartbroken by his passing. May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’
“God truly blessed America with the life and leadership of John Lewis. May it be a comfort to his son John-Miles, his entire family, Michael Collins and his entire staff that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.”
https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/71720-1
버락 오바마 대통령의 존 루이스 별세에 관한 성명서
My Statement on the Passing of Rep. John Lewis
America is a constant work in progress. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further — to speak out for what’s right, to challenge an unjust status quo, and to imagine a better world.
John Lewis — 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, Member of Congress representing the people of Georgia for 33 years — not only assumed that responsibility, he made it his life’s work. He loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example.
Considering his enormous impact on the history of this country, what always struck those who met John was his gentleness and humility. Born into modest means in the heart of the Jim Crow South, he understood that he was just one of a long line of heroes in the struggle for racial justice. Early on, he embraced the principles of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as the means to bring about real change in this country, understanding that such tactics had the power not only to change laws, but to change hearts and minds as well.
In so many ways, John’s life was exceptional. But he never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country might do. He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, a longing to do what’s right, a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. And it’s because he saw the best in all of us that he will continue, even in his passing, to serve as a beacon in that long journey towards a more perfect union.
I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my heroes. Years later, when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders. When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made. And through all those years, he never stopped providing wisdom and encouragement to me and Michelle and our family. We will miss him dearly.
It’s fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was at a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who were helping to lead this summer’s demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Afterwards, I spoke to him privately, and he could not have been prouder of their efforts — of a new generation standing up for freedom and equality, a new generation intent on voting and protecting the right to vote, a new generation running for political office. I told him that all those young people — of every race, from every background and gender and sexual orientation — they were his children. They had learned from his example, even if they didn’t know it. They had understood through him what American citizenship requires, even if they had heard of his courage only through history books.
Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.
https://medium.com/@BarackObama/my-statement-on-the-passing-of-rep-john-lewis-fa86761cd964
