In One Week, Two Republicans Try To Trash John Lewis's Legacy

     On July 17th, 2020, my 18th birthday had a distinctly sour note with the passing of the icon John Lewis. In 1961 he became one of the original Freedom Riders. As the chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he helped organize the March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma To Montgomery Marches in 1965, during which he was tear-gassed and had his skull fractured on "Bloody Sunday." He later served on the Atlanta City Council and represented Atlanta in the U.S. House of Representatives for 33 years. During this time, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is set to lie in state in the the Capitol, and the past week has felt like a new era minus a very powerful figure. 

     Already, Marco Rubio and Dan Sullivan have shown their racist tendencies by tweeting photos of the late Elijah Cummings in their remembrances of Lewis. The photos were later taken down, without an apology, of course. These men have taken the morning process and sullied it. It cannot be called an honest mistake when the two look nothing alike. However, we cannot let these bad apples distract the mourning of an icon who helped make the world what it is today.