Friends, 

Five years ago, we lost a civil rights hero.

Rep. John Lewis was a revolutionary, a fierce opponent of the status quo.

He dedicated his life to challenging and destroying the racist systems of oppression that have plagued this country since its founding.

He was among the Founding Fathers and Mothers of a more just America — men and women who braved guns, billy clubs and bare fists to awaken the conscience of a country. He spoke out against bigotry, police brutality, abuse of power, and violations of the right to protest.

He stood alongside President Lyndon Johnson as the original Voting Rights Act was signed into law in August, 1965. Throughout his life and his career in Congress, John Lewis devoted himself to the fundamental — yet still-unmet — promise of our nation: the right to vote.

I am honored to have worked with John Lewis in the struggle to fulfill that promise — an endeavor that included fighting back against gerrymandered maps in Georgia and demanding fair representation for voters across the country, particularly for communities of color in the South whose voting power was being diluted by unfair maps.

He was a beacon of strength as we fought the disenfranchisement of African American voters in Georgia and across the South, just as he inspired the courage of millions across the country throughout his public life righteously fighting for justice for all.

He led with openness, honesty, and the fullness of his being. He “gave a little blood” on a bridge in Selma — in his words — and he gave his life to his country and to all of us.

Today, I am remembering this extraordinary man and renewing my commitment to his fight for justice. I hope you will, too.

In gratitude for all that John Lewis gave us,

Eric H. Holder, Jr.
82nd Attorney General of the United States

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