Gov. Walz Orders Flags At Half-Staff To Honor Civil Rights Icon John Lewis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Gov. Tim Walz has ordered all flags at state and federal buildings to be flown at half-staff to remember an honor Rep. John Lewis.

"I will always be grateful to have served in Congress with John Lewis, a Civil Rights leader who never gave up on building a more fair, more equal country," said Walz. "His heart, his ideas, and his legacy will forever be etched in history."

Lewis died in Atlanta Friday night at the age of 80. On Dec. 29 of 2019, he had announced he had stage-four pancreatic cancer.

He was one of the original Freedom Riders and the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. In 1965, Lewis led marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama and was met by state troopers, who beat and fractured his skull. He was elected to Congress in 1987 and had represented the people of Georgia ever since.

"Rep. John Lewis was an extraordinary force for justice, from his organizing work in the streets of Selma to the halls of Congress," said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. "While we are heartbroken by his passing, we're more committed than ever to keep making good trouble on his behalf."

Gov. Walz encourages individuals and businesses to join in lowering their flags.