U.S Congressman John Lewis died last Friday at 80.
(c) cnn
The Fairfax County School Board in Virginia have voted in favor of renaming Robert E. Lee High School after late Rep. John Lewis. The change will go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year.
Board Chair Ricardy Anderson said in a statement, “Rep. Lewis was a champion of the Civil Rights movement, and our Board strongly believes this is an appropriate tribute to an individual who is a true American hero...We will also honor his life’s work by continuing to promote equity, justice, tolerance and service in the work that we do.”
Lewis was the last surviving member of the group that organized the 1963 march on Washington and the key figure in the 1965 Selma march, where he lead a group of 600 across the Edmund Pettus bridge. In what was known as "Bloody Sunday", the civil rights icon suffered a fractured skull after being beaten by Alabama state troopers.
The decision comes after many activists and officials have called for all confederate representations and monuments to be taken down.
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