Pelosi Honors Congressman John Lewis on House Floor: "Let Freedom Ring."
Washington, D.C. – This week, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House Floor to honor the life and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis, marking the fifth anniversary of his passing on this day in 2020. Joined by colleagues and Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Pelosi paid tribute to Lewis’s unwavering commitment to justice, his moral clarity and his enduring call to make “good trouble.”
Pelosi reflected on her more than three decades serving alongside Lewis in the House, praising his leadership in the fight for civil rights, voting rights and the soul of America. Recalling his example of nonviolence and love, she urged Congress to carry forward his mission with both words and action.
Watch her full remarks here.
Read the transcript of Speaker Emerita Pelosi's Floor remarks below:
Speaker Emerita Pelosi. I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for calling us together on this anniversary week of losing John Lewis.
Any of us who served with him in this body—and I have served with him for 30 years—my brother, he challenged us each day to do our very best for the American people: by his words, by his example.
As a distinguished former chair of the Black Caucus, Congresswoman Beatty said: we marched with him in Atlanta. We marched with him in Selma again and again. We marched in Washington. We marched. We followed his lead wherever he took us to make the statement.
As a distinguished chair of the Caucus, Congresswoman Clarke mentioned earlier about the voter suppression and how John was here to fight it—going to that in a moment. But first, I want to quote John Lewis:
'In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way.'
'Now it is your turn,' he said, 'to let freedom ring.'
Mr. Speaker, John Lewis's lasting legacy represents both the progress of our nation and the promise of what our nation can become. He believed in a better tomorrow, in a more perfect union, in one country, one destiny. He believed in all of us.
He had a deep faith in the goodness of people, and he believed that everyone was worthy of respect.
Again, I was honored to serve with him for more than 30 years and learn from him all that time—and saw in this Congress how he taught us, through words and actions, what true moral leadership looks like.
From time to time, when he rose to speak, he reminded us of our duty to the American people: to lift up our voices and to guide them to a future where freedom and justice are not just ideals, but guarantees.
As the distinguished chair of the Caucus mentioned—and also former chair Mr. Steven Horsford mentioned, as well as Congresswoman Beatty—he was there because the right to vote was so central to our freedom.
He wrote the first 300 pages of the For the People Act, which was to end voter suppression.
We all know of his leadership as being the title of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. That is still not there.
Today, as we witness attacks on civil rights, on democracy, on diversity, even on people's basic necessities, many Americans are looking for hope.
In these moments, let us be reminded of John's spirit and honor him not just with words, but with deeds.
It is on us to rise to the moment—to get in good trouble For The Children.
Let freedom ring.
I yield back.