Washington, D.C. – July 24, 2020
The Board of Financial Services Professionals is saddened by the loss of a true hero, the Honorable John Lewis, a titan in the Civil Rights Movement who devoted his life to the quest for justice and equality. Congressman Lewis had numerous remarkable achievements, including being one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, serving as President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and being a trusted lieutenant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rep. Lewis was one of the Big 6 leaders who planned the March on Washington, where at age 23 he was the youngest speaker to address more than 200,000 people. In a confrontation with racists during the march from Montgomery to Selma on Bloody Sunday, he suffered a fractured skull at the foot of the Edmund Pettis Bridge. He was arrested 45 times for peaceful protests. Fittingly, the Congressman’s last public appearance was a visit to Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., in support of protests surrounding the senseless murder of George Floyd.
We are grateful for his sacrifices and the key role that he played in the Civil Rights Movement, securing our right to vote and ending racial segregation. We lift his family and the nation in prayer and commit to continue his fight for freedom, justice and equality. Well done good and faithful servant. Rest in Heaven.
