A resolution honoring and commemorating the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 660 Honoring and commemorating the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 28, 2020 Mr. PERDUE (for himself, Mrs. LOEFFLER, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZ- MAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. GARDNER, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. HAWLEY, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE- SMITH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KEN- NEDY, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LEE, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PETERS, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. REED, Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROB- ERTS, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SAND- ERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms. SINEMA, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. UDALL, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WAR- REN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring and commemorating the life and legacy of Representative John Lewis. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Jul 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR660.ATS SR660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 660 ATS Whereas the Senate mourns the loss of John Lewis, a titan in the struggle for civil rights and equality for all races, and commemorates his life and accomplishments; Whereas John Lewis was born during the era of Jim Crow in a segregated community in which racism and discrimi- nation ran rampant; Whereas John Lewis’s moral clarity and unwavering commit- ment to nonviolence made his first passions preaching and ministry; Whereas John Lewis fought his first battle against segrega- tion when he was just a teenager, authoring a petition for equal access to his local public library, where African Americans had paid for the construction of the facilities but were banned from checking out books; Whereas, before his 21st birthday, John Lewis established his commitment to ‘‘good trouble’’ by organizing sit-ins at segregated restaurants and theaters; Whereas John Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which advocated for civil dis- obedience and nonviolent resistance against segregation across the United States, bringing him to the forefront of the struggle of the United States for civil rights; Whereas John Lewis participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides, which were a series of trips that tested a new de- segregation order of interstate transportation facilities and resulted in multiple beatings and the firebombing of the bus that John Lewis was supposed to be riding; Whereas, at 23 years of age, John Lewis served as the youngest member of the ‘‘Big Six’’, which planned the 1963 March on Washington, and worked alongside Mar- tin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, A. Philip Randolph, VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Jul 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR660.ATS SR660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 660 ATS Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young to advocate for racial equality and justice for all; Whereas John Lewis courageously led protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, bravely bear- ing violence from the police to embody the struggle of the United States to live up to its founding ideals of equal justice under the law; Whereas the bravery of John Lewis during ‘‘Bloody Sunday’’ led Congress to pass, and President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign into law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.), ensuring that African Americans have the right to fully participate in the democratic proc- ess in the United States; Whereas John Lewis faithfully served the city of Atlanta be- tween 1977 and 1981, embodying his election night promise to ‘‘bring a sense of ethics and moral courage’’ to the Atlanta City Council; Whereas John Lewis faithfully served the 5th congressional district of Georgia in the House of Representatives be- tween 1987 and 2020, serving as the ‘‘conscience of the Congress’’ by continuing his pursuit of justice and truth in the capital of the United States; and Whereas the Senate commends John Lewis for his life and for embodying the spirit of love and dignity through his unceasing advocacy for reconciliation, justice, and the equality of all mankind: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That— 1 (1) the Senate— 2 (A) has heard with profound sorrow and 3 deep regret the announcement of the death of 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Jul 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR660.ATS SR660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 660 ATS the Honorable John Lewis, a late Member of 1 the House of Representatives; and 2 (B) respectfully requests that the Sec- 3 retary of the Senate— 4 (i) communicate this resolution to the 5 House of Representatives; and 6 (ii) transmit an enrolled copy of this 7 resolution to the family of John Lewis; and 8 (2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand 9 adjourned as a further mark of respect to the mem- 10 ory of the Honorable John Lewis. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Jul 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR660.ATS SR660 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS