Rep. John Lewis, the esteemed civil rights leader who would go on to become a United States congressman and author of the critically-acclaimed, highly-influential autobiographical graphic novel series March, has passed away following a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.
Born to Alabama sharecroppers, Lewis has represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District since first taking office 1987. Long before that, Lewis was a prominent member of the Civil Rights Movement. He was an original member of the Freedom Riders, helped organize the 1963 March on Washington alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., partook in the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965 -- during which he survived a violent beating by police in the incident that has come to be known as "Bloody Sunday" -- and even served as leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he said inspired him to run for public office. Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. Reports of Lewis' death began circulating several days ago, though those were found to be erroneous.
While the mark Lewis has made on this country is no doubt of the utmost importance, he has also had a significant impact on the world of comic books and graphic novels. The congressman chronicled his time as a part of the Civil Rights Movement in the March graphic novel trilogy alongside co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell. The three volumes of March were published in 2013, 2015 and 2016, respectively, with March: Book Three becoming the first graphic novel in history to win the National Book Award.
In light of Lewis' passing, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a statement on Twitter. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Lewis," the organization said. "His life-long mission for justice, equality and freedom left a permanent impression on our nation and world. The NAACP extends our sincerest condolences to his family, and we send prayers of comfort and strength to all."
(via USA Today)