2:35 p.m. ET, July 30, 2020
Obama: Lewis was "a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance" despite tests to his faith
From CNN's Chris Boyette
Former President Barack Obama called Congressman John Lewis “an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.”
“I've come here today because I, like so many Americans, owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom,” the 44th president of the United States said.
“Now this country is a constant work in progress," Obama continued. "We're born with instructions to form a more perfect union. Explicit in those words is the idea that we're imperfect. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than any might have thought possible."
Obama went on to describe Lewis' work as a young civil rights activist.
"John Lewis, first of the Freedom Riders, head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, youngest speaker at the March on Washington, leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery, member of Congress representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years, mentor to young people — including me, at the time," Obama said.
"Until his final day on this Earth, he not only embraced that responsibility but he made it his life's work," Obama added.
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