Lewis was last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019
MICHAEL A. MCCOY/The New York Times News Service
Lewis’s announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer – “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” he said – inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle, and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era.
Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson soon was pressing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. The bill became law later that year, removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting. Lewis was born on Feb. 21, 1940, outside the town of Troy, in Pike County, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools.
Authorities shoved, then swung their truncheons, fired tear gas and charged on horseback, sending many to the hospital and horrifying much of the nation. King returned with thousands, completing the march to Montgomery before the end of the month.He won his seat in Congress in 1986 and spent much of his career in the minority.
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