07.20.2020 / Statement

Statement: Families USA Remembers Rep. John Lewis  Civil Rights Leader and Congressional Champion Was A Bellwether for Justice, Advocacy

Frederick Isasi, Families USA Executive Director, released the following remarks
about the death of U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA).

Families USA Remembers Rep. John Lewis

 Civil Rights Leader and Congressional Champion Was A Bellwether for Justice, Advocacy

Washington, D.C. — Rep. John Lewis’s (D-GA) pursuit for justice will leave an indelible imprint on our nation’s history and create hope for our country’s future. A giant of giants, his steady and clear call for equality in labor, education, voting rights, human rights, and healthcare are but a few notes in an esteemed career; one scored by a fervent drumbeat for intrepid activism.

From his time as the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, as a leader of the Civil Rights movement, and throughout his lifelong career as a forthright beacon for what was right and just, Rep. Lewis personified courage. He refused to rest in fear or to be silenced; he fought, undaunted, on the good side of trouble to the very end.

Rep. Lewis’s work and life provide a cornerstone for Families USA’s advocacy to ensure every family has access to quality, affordable healthcare and the opportunity to achieve their best health. We are convinced that creating a system of high-value healthcare that eliminates racial, ethnic, immigration, gender, LGBTQ, and socioeconomic inequities will make healthcare — and health — equitable and attainable for all.

Rep. Lewis’s heroic legacy — especially during such a time of uncertainty in the country — is inspiration for our work ahead. We mourn his death, but we celebrate everything he stood for. And as we build on the heroic record he leaves us may we all stand resolute on the good side of trouble — like never before.