Sanford Bishop: “We are here to honor Congressman John Robert Lewis, our hero, our colleague, our brother, our friend. Having known John…”

“We are here to honor Congressman John Robert Lewis, our hero, our colleague, our brother, our friend. Having known John for 52 years, I can tell you honestly that even in his humanity, he lived his life in the image of Jesus. John was a voice of the voiceless--African Americans, for women, for LGBTQ people, for the least and the left out, for anyone mistreated by society. His unwavering sense of right and wrong was a North Star for this Nation, which is why we called him the conscience of the Congress. People as good as John don't come our way very often. Despite all of the accolades and recognition he received, John remained humble, unfailingly kind, and always fueled the capacity of people to be better, despite their past transgressions. Where would America be today if it were not for John Lewis? Without his activism, without his courage, without his perseverance for voting rights, I doubt if I would be here today. Thank you, John, for your lifetime of advocacy, for sacrifice of friendship and counsel. And thank you, God, for the life of John Robert Lewis. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson).”