Kagame eulogises American civil right icon, John Lewis, whose "actions inspired many to slam injustices"
Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame has tweeted condolences for the famous American civil right activists, John Lewis, and attributed his actions to have "inspired many, in the US and around the world, who have had to stand up to situations of injustices of different kinds"
John Lewis, a champion of civil rights for African Americans and long-time U.S. lawmaker, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80, reports said.
Taking on Twitter, Rwandan President Kagame offered condolences to his family and loved ones and wished "May his legacy continue to inspire generations to have the courage to face injustice".
Lewis was born and grew up in Troy, in rural Alabama, as one of ten children of sharecroppers.
By his late teens, when he headed to Nashville, Tennessee, to study at the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University, two historically black colleges, Lewis had already developed an acute sense of the injustice of US society, and a determination to confront it.
Lewis began participating in bus boycotts, sit-ins, and demonstrations, had his first meetings with key figures in the civil rights movement like Rosa Parks and King Jr, and joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, led by Ella Baker, which played a pivotal role in fuelling youth activism against racism in America.
-0- PANA TWA/VAO 19July2020
