Biden, lawmakers mark John Lewis’s 81st birthday: ‘May we carry on his mission’

President Biden marked the late Rep. John Lewis’s (D-Ga.) birthday on Sunday, urging all Americans to “carry on his mission in the fight for justice and equality for all.”

“While my dear friend may no longer be with us, his life and legacy provide an eternal moral compass on which direction to march,” Biden tweeted Sunday. “May we carry on his mission in the fight for justice and equality for all.”

Today would have been Congressman John Lewis’ 81st birthday. While my dear friend may no longer be with us, his life and legacy provide an eternal moral compass on which direction to march. May we carry on his mission in the fight for justice and equality for all.

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 21, 2021

Lewis, the civil rights icon who served in Congress for more than three decades, died last year after revealing in late 2019 that the was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986 and represented his Atlanta-area district for 17 terms.

He was a key organizer during the Civil Rights Movement, serving as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, becoming the youngest person to give a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington and more. 

A slate of fellow elected officials on Sunday joined Biden in marking what would have been Lewis’s 81^st birthday.

Today would have been John Lewis’ 81st birthday. We miss you every day, and we will fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in your honor. pic.twitter.com/vp8ykV7CUI

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 21, 2021

John Lewis would have turned 81 today. Today and every day, let’s honor him with good trouble, necessary trouble. pic.twitter.com/AssIwUC9oM

— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) February 21, 2021

My good friend John Lewis would have turned 81 years old today.

Although I miss him dearly, I know that we are working hard to continue his legacy of fighting for what’s right and getting into a little bit of good trouble.

— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) February 21, 2021

John Lewis is no longer with us, but today, on what would have been his 81st birthday, I hope we all take a moment to remember him. To remember his humanity, his grace & his love for others. We must carry on his fight for justice & continue his enduring legacy of #goodtrouble. pic.twitter.com/D2QJSefgIn

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 21, 2021

Remembering my friend, Congressman John Lewis, who would have been 81 today. I am forever grateful for his mentorship and commitment to justice. #GoodTrouble pic.twitter.com/35B56oZWkQ

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) February 21, 2021

Lewis laid in state in the Capitol last year, becoming the first Black lawmaker in U.S. history to lie in state under the Rotunda.