File #: 20-3490    Version: 1 Name: HONORING THE LIFE OF REPRESENTATIVE JOHN R. LEWIS
Type: Consent Calendar Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 7/27/2020 In control: President
On agenda: 7/30/2020 Final action: 7/30/2020
Title: PROPOSED RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE OF REPRESENTATIVE JOHN R. LEWIS WHEREAS, John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940 in Troy, Alabama; and WHEREAS, A young boy John aspired to be a preacher and was preaching to his family's chickens on the farm at the age of 5; and WHEREAS, 1955 at the age of 15 was when he first heard Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on the radio and would closely follow the Montgomery bus boycott. This would also be the age in which he would preach his first sermon; and WHEREAS, John would later become one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, riding from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans in an integrated fashion. He continued to work diligently throughout the civil rights movement serving as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee speaking out against injustice; and WHEREAS, Representative Lewis was an advocate for civil rights and changing race relations. He spent much of his life fighting against the inequalities, disparities and ...
Sponsors: TONI PRECKWINKLE (President), FRANK J. AGUILAR, ALMA E. ANAYA, LUIS ARROYO JR, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, DENNIS DEER, BRIDGET DEGNEN, BRIDGET GAINER, BRANDON JOHNSON, BILL LOWRY, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, KEVIN B. MORRISON, SEAN M. MORRISON, PETER N. SILVESTRI, DEBORAH SIMS, LARRY SUFFREDIN

title

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

 

HONORING THE LIFE OF REPRESENTATIVE JOHN R. LEWIS

 

WHEREAS, John Robert Lewis was born on February 21, 1940 in Troy, Alabama; and

 

WHEREAS, A young boy John aspired to be a preacher and was preaching to his family’s chickens on the farm at the age of 5; and

 

WHEREAS, 1955 at the age of 15 was when he first heard Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on the radio and would closely follow the Montgomery bus boycott.  This would also be the age in which he would preach his first sermon; and

 

WHEREAS, John would later become one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, riding from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans in an integrated fashion.  He continued to work diligently throughout the civil rights movement serving as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee speaking out against injustice; and

 

WHEREAS, Representative Lewis was an advocate for civil rights and changing race relations.  He spent much of his life fighting against the inequalities, disparities and treatment against black people; and

 

WHERE AS, John’s dedication and leadership as a representative of Georgia’s 5th District which spans over 3 decades.  He leaves behind a legacy of awards, memoirs, biographies, accomplishments and contributions that speak to true change in America; and

 

WHEREAS, John was a trailblazer, Freedom Fighter and Justice Seeker.  Generations to come will know the likes of Representative John Robert Lewis and fight he fought not only for civil rights but pancreatic cancer; and

 

WHEREAS, John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020; and

 

WHEREAS, is survived by his son, John Miles Lewis; and

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, ,that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, hereby offer its deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family of NAME and honor the life and memory of this outstanding Cook County resident.end