Queens Congress members honor life and legacy of John Lewis
TIMESLEDGER | 6 QNS.COM | AUG. 7-13, 2020
“March on Washington.”
“It speaks to his legacy
that three former presidents
— Obama, Bush
and Clinton — spoke at
his funeral, and a fourth,
Jimmy Carter sent along
a statement as he is in
poor health,” Meeks said.
“Here was a man who
was attacked with billy
clubs, had bones broken
and was spit on so many
times yet he never held
bitterness towards his
attackers over the years.
He just tried to show love
and for that, he changed
America.”
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney, who represents
parts of Queens,
served with Lewis since
1992 and called him an
incredible civil rights
leader and an even better
man.
“I’m grateful to have
stirred up some good trouble
together on the House
floor during our sit-in
against gun violence, a
movement which spread
to cities across the country.
It was just one in a
million ways he inspired
the next generation of activists
to never stop fighting
for justice and equality,”
Maloney said. “It
was an honor to join him
during many of his yearly
trips to Selma, Alabama,
to retrace his and Martin
Luther King Jr.’s steps
across the Edmund Pettus
Bridge as we not only
honored the movement
that they started but also
rededicated ourselves
to the mission of racial
justice. I will cherish the
memory of joining him
and President Obama
there to mark the 50th anniversary
of the march.”
Queens Rep. Grace
Meng called Lewis a giant
and an icon of the civil
rights movement.
“He was a remarkable
and courageous human
being who fought
and bled for equality and
justice,” Meng said. “He
never stopped being an
activist. One of my memories
I have of John was sitting
with him on the floor
of the House when he led
that sit-in protest to push
for tougher gun safety
laws. It was serious. It
was peaceful. It was positive.
It was impactful.”
Meng cherishes a photo
of Lewis and her two
sons Brandon and Tyler
to remind herself, them,
and future generations of
how hard people fought
for civil rights.
“It is a reminder of
the past and future good
trouble. John had such
an impact on my life and
the lives of millions of
people throughout our
nation,” Meng said. “He
was a hero to so many
of us. He believed in and
fought for a better America
and we owe him an
immense debt of gratitude
for all that he did
for our country. We must
be fearless like him.
John’s legacy and the
inspiration and change
he helped to create will
never be forgotten, and
I will always cherish the
friendship that we had.
I ask all Americans to
keep him and his loved
ones in our thoughts and
prayers.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
BY BILL PARRY
The man known as the
“Conscience of the Congress”
had a profound impact,
both professionally
and personally on three
House members representing
Queens.
Civil rights titan Congressman
John Lewis,
who represented Georgia’s
Fifth District in
Congress for 34 uninterrupted
years, succumbed
to Stage 4 pancreatic cancer
on July 17 at the age of
80. Queens Rep. Gregory
Meeks served with Lewis
for 22 of those years and
told QNS he cherishes the
time he spent with the
“apostle of nonviolence,”
who had been the last living
member of the Big Six
civil rights activists who
organized and marched
with Reverend Martin
Luther King Jr.
“He was a remarkable
man and his funeral in Atlanta’s
Ebenezer Baptist
Church was a celebration
of the man and his life’s
work,” Meeks said following
the July 30 funeral and
burial. “I walked in full of
sorrow and I walked out
thanking God for knowing
this man. The funeral
was a wonderful tribute
to a great, great man. The
‘Boy from Troy’ may have
been small in stature but
he was a giant. He was
always quiet and humble
but if he was speaking
from the House floor he
roared like a lion.”
Lewis was best known
for leading the 1965
“Bloody Sunday: March
across the Edmund Pettus
Bridge where he had
his skull fractured after
he was beaten by Alabama
state troopers. At
age 23 he was the youngest
speaker at the Lincoln
Memorial during King’s
Congressman John Lewis was remembered as a fearless
civil rights icon by three of his Queens colleagues.
Photo by Gary Osborne/REUTERS
STRENGTH
HAS A PLAN.
We empower her to do things
she would not do on her own.
SEE WHAT’S POSSIBLE
WHEN HEALTH CARE
GETS PERSONAL.
Are you getting the most
out of your Medicare plan?
villagecaremax.org
Call to enroll or make an in-person appointment
1-800-469-6292 (TTY 711)
8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week
* Premium, co-pays, coinsurance and deductibles may vary based on the
level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact plan for further details.
/QNS.COM
/schnepsmedia.com
/villagecaremax.org
