HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Lamont announced Saturday that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of U.S. Representative John Lewis.
The honor in memory of the longtime congressman, of Atlanta will begin immediately until sunset on the date of interment, which has not yet been determined.
According to a release, all other flags, including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise, should also be lowered during this same duration of time.
The White House announced earlier Saturday this is also ordered the United States flag to be flown at half-staff for the remainder of the day on Saturday, July 18.
Gov. Lamont release this following statement following Lewis' passing:
“On behalf of the State of Connecticut, I thank Congressman Lewis for the decades of service he gave to our nation, and the impact he made throughout the entire country in the ongoing effort to bring positive change in the face of injustice. He leaves behind a legacy that will forever inspire us in immeasurable ways. He is an icon and a hero, and his passing is a terrible loss for our country.”
Gov. Lamont's office will send out a notification when flags should be returned to full-staff.
John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and became a 17-term United States congressman, died Friday. He was 80.
Lewis died seven months after announcing he was battling advanced pancreatic cancer.
He was born outside of Troy, Alabama on February 21, 1940. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he made a commitment at a young age to become part of the civil rights movement.
Other leaders from Connecticut have offered heartfelt condolences following news of Lewis' passing.
State Senator Douglas McCrory:
State Senator Douglas McCrory joined FOX61 Saturday morning to reflect on the life, legacy and impact of the longtime US representative and civil rights icon.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal:
"We have lost a towering leader—a teacher & preacher of giant conscience, courage, & caring. Exactly, when we need him most—we must seek to emulate his good trouble & beloved community."
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy:
"Never ever forget going on a civil rights pilgrimage with John Lewis in 2014, as he visited the home of his friend Medgar Evers for the first time since his murder. Tears rolled down John’s face when he saw the driveway still stained w Evers’ blood."
Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill:
"Making noise and causing good, necessary trouble, John Lewis was an inspiration to an entire generation of activists for voting rights. His and other activists’ sacrifice of their bodies and their blood for the cause of equality in voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama lent courage to the legislators that ultimately passed the Voting Rights Act. His entire career was spent in the pursuit of justice and equality; we will miss him most at this particular moment in history. The world needs more good troublemakers and yesterday we lost one of the best."
Congressman John B. Larson:
“There are no words to describe the pain that many Americans are feeling across the country this morning, waking up to the news that our conscience, our friend, our inspirational leader, John Lewis has passed away. I am heartbroken. I am honored and humbled to have served alongside him, to have had him take my children, as he has done for so many Americans in the Faith and Politics march every year, through historic march in Selma, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and to have called him a friend.
“John Lewis never stopped fighting. From his time leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the rest of the ‘Big Six’, to his time in Congress, he fought day in and day out for a more just and equal country. He was the living embodiment of the teaching of Dr. King and led nonviolent, peaceful protests for human rights and racial equality. We will never be able to thank him for all that he has done to move our country forward.
“The day the House passed the Affordable Care Act, after a day of hateful protests, urging us to ‘kill the bill’, John Lewis stood up and reminded us that we must do what is right. 45 years prior, he had marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and almost lost his life. That day he called on all of us to link arms together and pass the bill, and that is what we did.
“In 2016, we caused some ‘good trouble’ as he would say, with the rest of the Democratic Caucus and held a sit in on the House floor, calling for action on the gun violence epidemic that is plaguing our nation.
“My heart goes out to John Lewis’s family, friends, and staff today. The United States Congress lost our conscience and dear friend.”
Congressman Joe Courtney:
“John Lewis’s moral center never wavered in its intense fidelity to justice, decency and kindness. He was a powerful orator whose speeches on the floor of the US House and in public will long be remembered, but ultimately his power came from his deep faith in humanity’s ability to evolve to a higher and better state. He advised friends and colleagues ‘...to give it your all’ in the pursuit of that goal. History will judge that John did indeed ‘give his all’ throughout his extraordinary life.”
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro:
“I am devastated and heartbroken at the passing of my colleague, friend, and civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis.
“The impact John Lewis has had on our country cannot be overstated. In his over three decades in Congress, John Lewis carried with him the ideas laid forth by Martin Luther King Jr. – ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ John worked toward achieving that justice every single day as a member of the House of Representatives, and the United States of America is better off for it.
“Congressman Lewis’ service to our nation pre-dates his time in Congress. He was a trailblazer. He was a founder and leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee which organized sit-ins throughout the South. He was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders challenging the unjust rules of segregation in the South in the 1960s. And, in March of 1965, he helped organize a peaceful protest in Alabama advocating for equal voting rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery.
“There are few in this world who change it. The lessons John Lewis taught me, and the wisdom he shared with the Congress have made this institution and this country a better place. He led us in the sit-in movement in the well of the House to end gun violence. As John always said, ‘never be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble.’ I will carry his words and his wisdom with me forever. My dear friend, John Lewis, you were a guiding light, you showed us the way.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family, loved ones, and the nation during this time of mourning.”