John Lewis, the civil rights icon and longtime congressmember, has died at the age of 80. During the 1960s, Lewis was arrested more than 40 times and was beaten almost to death in Selma, Alabama, during a march for voting rights in 1965. He helped found SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., organized the Freedom Rides and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis once said, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” John Lewis had served in Congress since 1987.