GLEN ROCK, NJ – U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) released the following statement on the passing of Congressman John Lewis:

John Lewis was on the battlefield of nearly every civil rights fight of the last century. Through it all, regardless of what they did to him, John always walked gracefully with the wind, following the words of Isaiah, “They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

My friend John Lewis never grew weary, regardless of the fight, even in the face of cancer.

I’ll never forget the last hug he gave me, when I told him how much he meant to me, how much I appreciated his counsel, and all he did for me, he whispered back, “Just stay strong, my brother.”

Congressman John Lewis was a legend and an American icon, and his presence will always loom large over the House and our great nation.

John once said, “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it,” — and we all need to remember that. I know that I will.