This afternoon, former Rep. John Conyers passed away at the age of 90 according to CNN. Rep. Conyers enjoyed a tenure of more than five decades in Washington. He was the longest African American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. His district included parts of Detroit, Michigan, where he was elected to serve for 53 years.
Reports indicate his son, John Conyers III, has confirmed the death of his father at his home Sunday afternoon.
During his tenure Conyers was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Conyer’s death comes on the heels of the country watching former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama speak at the eulogy of Rep. Elijiah Cummings on Friday, along with other congressional members.
A few of his achievements include the following bills Conyers authored or co-sponsoring during his five decades of service:
- Martin Luther King Holiday Act,
- the Alcohol Warning Label Act,
- the National Voter Registration Act and
- the Hate Crime Statistics Act.
In recent years, America has struggled with on-going police brutality and the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. It was Conyers when serving as the first African American Democratic leader on the House Judiciary Committee, who included civil rights measures to the 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill. The measures include the Racial Justice Act and the Police Accountability Act.
After he pushed the Justice Department to provide a national study on police brutality, and Conyers conducted hearings in several cities on police violence, racially motivated violence, sentencing, white-collar crime and other criminal justice matters. Read more info at Historymakers.org.
Reactions on the passing of Rep. Conyers
“Our Congressman forever, John Conyers, Jr. He never once wavered in fighting for jobs, justice and peace,” shared via Twitter by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the current representative of his old district. “We always knew where he stood on issues of equality and civil rights in the fight for the people. Thank you Congressman Conyers for fighting for us for over 50 years.”
“Saddened to hear of the passing of Congressman John Conyers,” Rep. Barbara Lee tweeted Sunday afternoon. “He was a tireless advocate for racial and economic justice for more than 50 years. As a CBC co-founder, he focused the nation’s attention on inequality and so many overlooked issues. My heart is with his family today.”
“My heart is heavy to hear of Congressman John Conyers’ passing,” Ohio Rep. Marcia L. Fudge stated. “My condolences to his family and the city of Detroit during this hard time. Mr. Conyers spent a lifetime defending the Voting Rights Act, advocating for criminal justice reform, and fighting for civil rights.”
Conyers is survived by his wife, Monica Conyers, and his sons John III and Carl.
