Biden Campaign Press Release - Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Endorses Joe Biden for President

Georgia Congressman John Lewis Becomes the 38th Congressional Black Caucus Member to Back Biden

Today, civil rights icon Georgia Congressman John Lewis released the following statement endorsing Joe Biden for President of the United States:

"I have stared down the deepest, and darkest forces in this nation. Vice President Joe Biden and I both believe that we are in a fight to redeem the soul of America. I know Joe Biden as a man of character and dignity - A man who can not, and will not rest when he sees injustice in our American home. Joe Biden has no delusions about this nation's past. But he knows who we can be at our best. A nation of love, freedom and equality. And, I will fight with him for that future."

Congressman Lewis also recorded a video highlighting his endorsement for the campaign, view the video HERE.

Lewis has been at the forefront of the struggle for civil rights his whole life, serving as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helping to lead some of the civil rights movement's most pivotal events, from the 1963 March on Washington, to the Mississippi Freedom Summer, to the 1965 Bloody Sunday march in Selma. A leader of great moral courage and character, he was attacked, injured, and arrested 40 times, but has remained devoted to nonviolence. After serving on the Atlanta City Council, Lewis was elected to the U.S. House in 1986, representing Georgia's Fifth Congressional District, which includes three-fourths of Atlanta; and is known as the Dean of the Georgia congressional delegation. Lewis has served as House Democrats' Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003. In 2011, Lewis was awarded our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Lewis joins 37 other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) who have endorsed Biden, highlighting Biden's commitment to civil rights and building an inclusive middle class where everyone comes alone. Biden has support from other former chairs from the CBC, too, including Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn, Congressman Cedric Richmond, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Congresswoman and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass.

Biden for President has previously announced more than 2,500 endorsements from national, state, and local leaders, including current and former U.S. senators and representatives, governors, state elected officials, community leaders, and national security professionals.