On Dec. 29, 2019, seventeen term congressman Rep. John Lewis announced that he is receiving treatment for stage four pancreatic cancer. The news elicited sympathetic responses from politicians of both parties, many of whom praised Lewis’ work during the Civil Rights Movement.
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III joined Boston Public Radio to look back on Lewis’ career.
“When I think about John Lewis it pulls at my heartstrings because I’m praying for him,” Monroe said. “But he really gives us hope for a Democratic renewal here. A moral purpose here.”
Price added that he is grateful to Lewis for his tenacity in advocating for legislation that would eventually lead to the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“It took him 15 years to get that bill passed, and every year consistently he shared that bill, so that what we have now in this new national museum is actually a reflection of the resilience and dedication of Congressman John Lewis.”
