Walz Orders Flags At Half-Staff To Honor Rep. John Lewis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Gov. Tim Walz has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Thursday to honor Rep. John Lewis. The proclamation follows a six-day national celebration of his life.

"Congressman Lewis was fearless in his pursuit of a more perfect union," reads Governor Walz's proclamation. "Congressman Lewis was a friend, mentor, and leader of character and integrity, and his values pushed the country to rise to a higher purpose and build a more fair and equitable nation."

Lewis died in Atlanta last 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.

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