| THE BIG STORY John Lewis, the Congressman and civil rights icon, has died at 80 Lewis, a revered civil rights figure, represented the Atlanta area in Congress since 1986. His death was announced on Friday.
Lewis was a national figure well before he served in Congress. In the 1960s, he was one of the "Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement, along with Martin Luther King Jr. and others. At the time, Lewis was in his twenties and was serving as the chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Lewis participated in countless nonviolent demonstrations, protests, and sit-ins. He also supported the LGBTQ rights movement long before it was popular to do so. Former president Barack Obama awarded Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his contributions in the civil rights era.
From Oprah to Obama to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, here’s how people are remembering Lewis and honoring his legacy.
Two senators paid tribute to Lewis using photos of a different Black congressman.
We’ve collected 19 iconic photos that show Lewis’s lifelong fight for equality.
Lewis looks at images and his arrest record from 1963 for leading a nonviolent sit-in at Nashville's segregated lunch counters. Rick Diamond / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS “Flat-out unconstitutional”: federal officers in unmarked vans are snatching people off the streets in Portlands
In Portland, Oregon, protesters are out in the streets protesting the police killing of George Floyd. Those protesters say federal officers deployed by President Donald Trump are increasing tensions and violating civil rights by roaming the streets in unmarked vans and detaining people without probable cause.
Videos and the accounts of witnesses detail how armed officers outfitted in camouflage and lacking identifying information on their uniforms are snatching people off the streets. A video has gone viral of two men in fatigues exiting an unmarked van, grabbing a person by their arms, and escorting them to a vehicle.
An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement, “What is happening in Portland is an unconstitutional nightmare.”
The reports of people being grabbed off the street led a group of moms to form a human wall to protect protesters from federal officers. Around three dozen mothers — dressed in white and wearing bike helmets — linked arms and chanted, “Feds stay clear! Moms are here!”
Chris DiStefano SNAPSHOTS Three best friends who went fishing in Florida were beaten and shot to death, police say. Authorities said the three men, who had been friends for years, had been “massacred” and that it was a “horrific scene.” One of the victims managed to call his father and say “help” before he died, authorities said.
An 18-year-old protester said her teeth were knocked out after police were filmed punching her in the face. Miracle Boyd said she was already leaving the protest to go home and eat when she saw police beating and macing people. So she started filming them, and that's when an officer punched her.
Two men were charged after a Black man said he was a victim of “attempted lynching.” Indiana prosecutors filed criminal charges against two men in connection with an alleged attack on a Black man who said he was the victim of an attempted lynching at a lake on the 4th of July.
Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a private royal wedding. The small service was attended by the couple’s closest friends and family, including the bride's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The bride wore the same tiara that her grandmother wore on her wedding day, Queen Mary's diamond fringe tiara.
"WE'RE GOING TO WAR" Kids clothing company Hanna Andersson has a big diversity problem, staff say — and a CEO who gets mad if you raise it You might know Hanna Andersson for its colorful, Scandinavian-inspired cotton clothing for children. You might also know the company for donating to children’s philanthropies and implementing forward-thinking policies for parents in the workplace.
But beneath the wholesome image, current and former employees say, Hanna Andersson has a dark side that has developed in recent years.
According to three current and six former employees who told BuzzFeed News, the company has a culture that does not give enough value to racial diversity, and the CEO has a reputation for rebuking staff members who disagree with him.
Employees also said the leadership team has been known to push back against those who call upon the company to do better when it comes to diversity and representation.
HERO TO HERO Chris Evans and Tom Holland sent videos to a 6-year-old who saved his sister from a dog attack, and it’s so wholesome Earlier this month, Bridger’s family revealed that he and his sister had been attacked by a dog, resulting in the 6-year-old “receiving 90 stitches (give or take)” at the hospital.
While the boy was recovering from his injuries, his story went viral, and caught the eyes of his favorite superheroes, the Avengers.
Because Captain America and Spider-Man are wholesomeness embodied, they reached out to the boy, and it’s all incredibly lovely.
I hope you dial in to what your internal compass is telling you today, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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