Chris Coons: “I rise to pay tribute to my colleague, my friend, to our American hero who lies in state just now in the Rotunda of this…”

“I rise to pay tribute to my colleague, my friend, to our American hero who lies in state just now in the Rotunda of this Capitol, Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta, GA. Born in Troy, AL, the arc of his life is known to us all. He gave himself completely to the fight for the dignity of every American and every human being. I wanted to take a few minutes today, if I could, and just reflect a little bit on what made John so special and so different. There are many in this Chamber in the Senate and in the House of Representatives who have fought for equality and justice. There are many who have marched or who have sacrificed, who have fought or who have led in many causes over many years, but John was both fierce in his passion for equality and humble in his spirit, gentle and kind. One of the great blessings of my decade here has been to get to travel with a group called the Faith & Politics Institute on an annual congressional civil rights pilgrimage. Many Members of the House and Senate have done so. Through five different trips I got to travel with John--to Selma and Birmingham, to Memphis and Montgomery, to Charleston and Cape Town, to South Carolina and South Africa, to Alabama and to Delaware--I most treasure the memory of hosting John in Delaware in 2015 when he came and spoke to a whole school full of eager elementary school kids.…”