Hank Aaron releases statement on the passing of congressman John Lewis

Baseball legend Hank Aaron pays tribute to civil rights activist John Lewis

Many Americans woke up to the extremely sad news that congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis passed away at the age of 80 after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Deserved tributes to Lewis flooded throughout every social media platform, especially from those in the professional sports world. The NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB all released statements to honor a man who helped pave the way for racial equality.

On Saturday, Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron  on Lewis who, like him, grew up in segregated Alabama.

Sports honors the life of John Lewis

Lewis fought for the basic human rights of all African Americans through non-violent protests during the 1960’s.

Back in 1965, Lewis led a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. After standing peacefully on said bridge, Lewis was beaten in the head with a billy club by a state trooper in an event that was forever known as “Bloody Sunday.” That helped lead to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which banned discrimination-based voting practices in southern states.

Twenty years after the ratification of the bill, Lewis was voted the United States representative of Georgia’s fifth congressional district in 1987, a seat which he held up until his death.

Before he left the world, Lewis got to see millions of people of all races march together to fight for racial equality and to bring an end to police brutality following the death of George Floyd. Additionally, prominent athletes used their huge platforms to join and raise awareness for the movement.

That’s something Lewis was no doubt happy to see.