Civil Rights Pioneer Rep. John Lewis Dies
A policeman broke his skull in 1965’s “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama. But John Lewis survived, going on to serve 17 terms in Congress for his Georgia constituents, additionally struggling against voter suppression, wars, guns and neglect of America’s poor. He learned in December that he had pancreatic cancer, and died Friday at age 80. The son of Alabama sharecroppers, he met Martin Luther King Jr. at age 17, then rose to head the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, instrumental in the civil rights movement. Former President Barack Obama called Lewis a personal hero who “risked his life and blood” to see his nation’s promise fulfilled.
SOURCES:  NBC  /  Politico   /  LA Times