Last Friday, July 17, revered and respected U.S. Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis died at the age of 80. As tributes have been pouring in from around the world, a cavalcade of celebrities also shared their grief and condolences. Among them: Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who added his voice to the growing calls to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, after Lewis.
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"Sad to hear the news that civil rights legend John Lewis died yesterday," McCartney shared on social media. "He was such a great leader who fought with honesty and bravery for civil rights in America. Long may his memory remain in our hearts. How about renaming the famous Pettus Bridge that he and Martin Luther King Jr. and others walked across in the 60s for the civil rights movement and rename it the John Lewis Bridge?!!! Nancy and I are proud to support the NAACP and have recently donated to their legal defense fund."
...that he and Martin Luther King Jr. and others walked across in the 60s for the civil rights movement and rename it the John Lewis Bridge?!!! Nancy and I are proud to support the NAACP and have recently donated to their legal defense fund.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) July 18, 2020
It's a fair question. Edmund Pettus was not only a former Confederate brigadier general U.S. senator, he proudly served as Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan. That point was brought up by "Little" Steven Van Zant of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, as well as the outstanding Little Steven's Underground Garage radio show.
"Hopefully the Edmund Pettus Bridge will be renamed the John Lewis Bridge," Van Zandt shared on social media. "It should have happened while he was alive. Why we would have anything named after the grand dragon of the ku klux klan is way beyond me."
Hopefully the Edmund Pettus Bridge will be renamed the John Lewis Bridge. It should have happened while he was alive. Why we would have anything named after the grand dragon of the ku klux klan is way beyond me.
— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) July 18, 2020
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