Next year, a postage stamp will be issued in honor of civil rights icon and former U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
The USPS announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday, saying the stamp “celebrates the life and legacy” of the Georgian leader who risked his life protesting against segregation and other injustices in the Jim Crow South.
“Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s,” the agency said in the release. “Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 arrests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call ‘good trouble.'”
According to CNN, the new stamp will feature a photo taken by Marco Grob that was shared in a 2013 issue of Time Magazine.
During his 60-year public service career, he participated in lunch counter protests, served on the Freedom Riders, and spoke at the March on Washington at 21. Years later, Lewis served on the Atlanta City Council before being elected to Congress, representing the Atlanta area for over 30 years.
In 2020, Lewis died at the age of 80 from advance stage pancreatic cancer.
