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As tributes pour in for John Lewis, so do proposals for ways to honor the legacy of the longtime congressman and civil rights icon, who died at age 80 on Friday.

Suggestions range from renaming a historic bridge to passing voting rights legislation to holding a pandemic-safe public memorial. 

 to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. — the place where then-25-year-old Lewis and other protesters marching for voting rights were brutally beaten by state troopers — in his honor.

Lewis led an annual pilgrimage to Selma to commemorate the march, 

 this year despite the coronavirus pandemic and his own health challenges.

, was a decorated Confederate general and member of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. 

In tributes, John Lewis remembered as an American hero

 asking for the name change began circulating last month, and has gained momentum in recent days. As of Sunday, it had more than 469,000 signatures. 

"It's far past time to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge after Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon that nearly gave his life on that bridge," wrote petition creator Michael Starr Hopkins. "Edmund Pettus was a bitter racist, undeserving of the honor bestowed upon him. As we wipe away this country's long stain of bigotry, we must also wipe away the names of men like Edmund Pettus."

As support for the renaming grows, other voices are advocating for a tribute they see as more befitting of Lewis' legacy. 

On Sunday, Democratic lawmakers including House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, Rep. Karen Bass and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, 

 for the swift passage of existing voting rights legislation.

The Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act 

 by the Supreme Court in 2013. When the House 

 the legislation in December 2019, it was Lewis who announced the tally. 

, Clyburn urged President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pass the legislation, which he said should be in Lewis' name.

"It should be the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020," Clyburn said. "That's the way to do it. Words may be powerful, but deeds are lasting."

 Lewis by allowing his remains to lie in state in the Capitol, a public memorial that presents logistical and public health challenges due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

 to tourists, and people permitted inside must maintain six feet of distance from others. In the current phase of Washington, D.C.'s reopening plan, mass gatherings are 

It remains to be seen how lawmakers will honor the man 

"I know he will be honored properly ... because he was the most respected member of the House, respected by the Senate, respected by both parties," Rep. Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, 

She added that she believes flags should be flown at half-staff until Lewis is laid to rest. 

 U.S. flags at the White House and all government facilities nationwide lowered to half-staff for the day on Saturday. 

In Atlanta, the city Lewis represented for more than three decades, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said flags will fly at half-staff 

Politics and Government News

Rachel Treisman

Author

Proposed ideas include renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in honor of the late congressman, and passing expanded voting rights legislation in his name.

Calls grow to honor John Lewis in ways both symbolic and concrete

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