It's the very place that helped define Lewis' life. The bridge is a pivotal landmark where he fought for racial justice. On the Edmund Pettus Bridge is where Lewis led hundreds of marchers demanding equal voting rights.
[Ads /]
"We were beaten, trampled by horses, and they used tear gas," he once said.
John Lewis recounted the moments they were met by Alabama State Troopers in a 2015 interview with ABC13 anchor Melanie Lawson.
SEE ALSO: Civil rights icon John Lewis remembered in his hometown
"I thought I saw death. I thought I was going to die on that bridge, but somehow, I am still here and I lived to complete the march from Selma to Montgomery. 54 miles," Lewis said.
Now, 55 years after that day in 1965, the world saw a crossing that was much different.
It was peaceful. Lewis' body was surrounded by family, who were met with grace and gratitude.
SEE ALSO: Rep. John Lewis crosses 'Bloody Sunday' Selma bridge for final time
Two petitions are circulating online in an effort to rename the bridge in honor of Lewis.
[Ads /]
"Congressman Lewis was a person who merely died trying to cross that bridge for others, sacrificing himself, so I do believe that, you know, just like we're renaming Robert E. Lee and Confederate monuments and Confederate statues, that bridge [should be] named after a person that was a stalwart against civil rights and African Americans," said Texas House Rep. Ron Reynolds.
Reynolds said he had the pleasure of being mentored by Lewis as a young man.
"Yes, name the Edmund Pettus Bridge in his honor," said U.S. Rep. Al Green. "Pass the Voting Rights Act, [and] increase minimum wage. We cannot live in a country where we have people making billions a year and others making $7.25 an hour. We need to raise the minimum wage."
Follow Stefania Okolie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.