ATLANTA _ The life of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis has been an undercurrent throughout the Democratic National Convention. But shortly before Joe Biden's acceptance speech, Democrats put the civil rights hero's legacy at center stage in an emotional tribute.
In a prime-time address Thursday from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Biden and Kamala Harris would follow in Lewis' tradition as leaders "who hold justice close to their hearts and believe that the lives of my four Black children matter."
"He walked gently amongst us _ not as a distant icon, but as a God-fearing man, doing what he could do to fulfill the as-yet-unfulfilled promise of America," she said.
The ceremony capped four days of frequent praise and honor for Lewis, a Georgia Democrat whose stand against racism, segregation and hate made him the "conscience of the Congress" during his 17 terms representing an Atlanta-based district.
Democrats have repeatedly invoked Lewis' favorite saying _ "good trouble" _ throughout the virtual convention to describe their defiance of President Donald Trump's agenda and vows to expand health care coverage, combat climate change and fight discrimination.
Party leaders have pledged to pass a sweeping ballot access measure _ dubbed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act _ if Democrats win the White House and control of both chambers of Congress.
And when Georgia's turn came up at a virtual roll call, it was state party Chairwoman Nikema Williams _ who replaced Lewis on the November ballot after his death last month _ who formally delivered Georgia's 117 delegates to Biden in front of a mural of the civil rights icon in Sweet Auburn.
Thursday's remembrance revisited his legacy.
After Bottoms spoke, a string of national figures and Georgia leaders honored Lewis' memory, including voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Footage of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October but had a close friendship with Lewis, was also included.
Then came a montage of archival footage from the civil rights movement that led to pictures of more recent protests and a portrait of Lewis standing inside the bold yellow lettering of Washington's Black Lives Matter Plaza in his final public appearance.
The tribute ended with a performance by singer-songwriter John Legend and rapper Common, whose song "Glory" won the Best Original Song Academy Award in 2015 and was featured in the movie "Selma" about the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the Alabama town.
The speech was the most significant of Bottoms' political career and evoked her rise in the span of four years from Atlanta councilwoman to mayor of Georgia's capital city to one of Biden's earliest and most prominent surrogates.
As she confronted a global pandemic and unrest over police brutality in Atlanta, her national profile soared. She emerged as a finalist to become his running mate and, should Biden win, a potential appointment to his Cabinet.
Her national platform has drawn attacks from Republicans. Trump's campaign accused her of weakening the Atlanta Police Department and alienating law enforcement officials.
"Georgians want law and order and will reelect President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot this November," said Savannah Viar, the campaign's Georgia spokeswoman.
Bottoms, for her part, warned of those "disgracefully using this pandemic to spread misinformation and interfere with voting" _ a reference to Trump's baseless threats and warnings about mail-in ballots. She ended her address with a call to action.
"Congressman Lewis would not be silenced. And neither can we," she said. "Our votes can be our voice. We cannot wait for some other time, some other place, some other heroes. We must be the heroes of our generation, because we, too, are America."
