HONOR IN THE ROTUNDA, BUT NOT
IN STATE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHAD IN
WASHINGTON.
JOHN LEWIS FOUGHT FOR CIVIL
RIGHTS ALONGSIDE THE REVEREND
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
THE SON OF DR. KING, MARTIN
LUTHER KING III JOINS US NOW.
WHAT A PLEASURE, MR. KING.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU.
DAVID: I JUST WANT TO RECITE AS
BEST I CAN IN A SHORTENED
VERSION, I WASN’T THERE.
THE STORY GOES THAT IN 1958, I
BELIEVE IT WAS ABOUT A YEAR
AFTER WERE YOU BORN, A
18-YEAR-OLD JOHN LEWIS STEPPED
OFF OF A BUS, A GREYHOUND BUS
IN MONTGOMERY FROM TROY AND HE
WAS GREETED BY MARTIN LUTHER
KING, JR., YOUR FATHER, THE MAN
WHO ACTUALLY PAID FOR JOHN
LEWIS TO COME TO MONTGOMERY
FROM TROY AND YOUR FATHER SAID
TO HIM, SO YOU’RE THE BOY FROM
TROY.
IS THAT STORY TRUE?
>> THAT’S WHAT I’VE ALWAYS
HEARD, THAT THE CONGRESSMAN AT
THAT TIME, OF COURSE, JUST A
KID AND GETTING READY TO GO TO
COLLEGE AND HAVING A
CONVERSATION THAT HE SHARED
WITH MY FATHER THAT -- HOW
INSPIRED HE WAS BY LISTENING TO
HIS SPEECHES ON A TRANCESISTOR
RADIO THAT MANY OF US DON’T
KNOW ABOUT TODAY.
THAT’S AMAZING.
AND HE SAID ARE YOU THE BOY
FROM TROY?
OF COURSE JOHN LEWIS HAS STATED
THAT HE STATED HIS FULL NAME
NOT JUST JOHN LEWIS, BUT HIS
FULL NAME.
SO, YES, THAT’S A TRUE STORY.
DAVID: IT’S A GREAT STORY.
WELL, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT JOHN
LEWIS THAT INSPIRED YOUR FATHER
TO PAY FOR HIS TICKET, A ROUND
TRIP TICKET FROM TROY TO
MONTGOMERY?
>> YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW THAT
I HAVE THE ANSWER, BUT I WILL
SPECULATE AND IT WAS BECAUSE OF
THE LETTER THAT HE WROTE AND
HOW IN DETAIL HE TALKED ABOUT
WHAT HE HAD DONE.
HE USED TO PREACH TO CHICKENS.
HE WAS PRACTICING BECAUSE HIS
GOAL, I THINK WAS TO BECOME A
MINISTER.
HE ASSUMED THAT GOD HAD CALLED
HIM TO THE MINISTRY AND I THINK
IT’S JUST THE TIMES.
THERE WAS SOMETHING UNIQUE AND
SPECIAL THAT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT
THIS MAN.
AND THEN ONCE THEY MET,
OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS THE LEVEL OF
DESIRE TO BE ENGAGED, TO BRING
ABOUT CHANGE.
AND HE PERSONIFIED THAT
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
DAVID: HOW MUCH -- YOU
MENTIONED THAT HE HAD AN IDEA
OF POSSIBLY BEING A PREACHER.
HE CHOSE THE POLITICAL COURSE
INSTEAD.
BUT HOW IMPORTANT WAS GOD IN
HIS LIFE?
>> I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT GOD
WAS EVERYTHING.
I MEAN, EVERY JUNCTURE, EVEN IF
YOU REMEMBER WHEN THEY CROSSED
YOU REMEMBER WHEN THEY CROSSED
OVER THE PETTUS BRIDGE AND THEY
TALKED ABOUT LET’S KNEEL AND
PRAY.
SO PRAYER, FAITH, AND RELIGION
WAS IMMINENTLY IMPORTANT IN
EVERYTHING THAT HE DID.
AND I THINK HE TRIED TO
PERSONIFY A SPIRIT OF THE
SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST.
>> AND OF COURSE, THAT SPIRIT
IS EMBODIED IN ONE WORD AND
THAT WORD IS TRUTH AND THAT
WORD IS ALSO PEACE AND HE WAS
COMMITTED TO PEACE.
I KNOW HE WORKED WITH A--
WITH SNICK, THE NONVIOLENT
COORDINATING COMMITTEE,
STUDENTS NOR NONVIOLENT
COORDINATING COMMITTEE AND HE
KEPT THAT DEVOTION TO PIECE AND
NONVIOLENCE AND IN 2014 HE HAD
AN INTERVIEW IN WHICH HE SAID
THE FOLLOWING, I THINK WE CAN
PUT IT ON THE SCREEN.
THERE WILL BE SOME
INTERRUPTIONS, BUT YOU MUST
NEVER EVER GIVE UP AND HOLD
ONTO THE PHILOSOPHY AND TO THE
DISCIPLINE OF NONVIOLENCE AND
TRY TO PROTEST IN A PEACEFUL
ORDERLY FASHION AND APPEAL TO
THE BETTER ANGELS IN ALL OF US.
BOY, COULD WE USE THAT MEDICINE
NOW, RIGHT?
>> OH, THERE’S NO QUESTION
ABOUT THAT THAT WHAT HE SAYS
AND HIS COMMITMENT.
I LED A DELEGATION IN 2009
WHICH WAS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF MY MOTHER AND FATHER GOING
TO INDIA, AND THE CONGRESSMAN
ALSO JOINED US IN THAT
DELEGATION, AND TO SEE HIM AS
WE TRAVELED THE GHANDI
MEMORIALS IN THAT AMAZING
COUNTRY OF INDIA AND TO SEE
WHAT HE SAID DURING THAT TIME
WAS QUITE AMAZING, BUT AGAIN,
THAT WAS WHERE THE WHOLE
STRATEGIC PHILOSOPHY OF
NONVIOLENCE, THAT’S WHAT WE ALL
MODELED.
DAD MODELED AFTER GHANDI AND
JOHN LEWIS WAS INSPIRED BY DAD
AND BY GHANDI.
DAVID: GIVE US AN INSIDE LOOK.
HE WAS YOUR FRIEND, PRACTICALLY
A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY.
WHAT KIND OF GUY, WAS HE A FUN
PERSON TO BE WITH?
WAS HE VERY SERIOUS OR DID HE
HAVE A LIGHT SIDE AS WELL?
>> NO, NO, HE WAS BASICALLY ALL
THINGS.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS,
THERE WAS HUMOR, BUT THERE WAS
HUMILITY AND COMPASSION, THIS
IS NOT AN ACT, THIS IS WHO HE
WAS EVERY DAY OF HIS LIFE.
I DON’T EVER REMEMBER HIM
SAYING ANYTHING UNKIND AND
THAT’S JUST UNUSUAL.
IT’S A UNUSUALN UNUSUAL FOLLOWIN
BUT HE WAS A REMARKABLE HUMAN
BEING AND THAT ENERGY THAT HE
EXHIBITED WE WILL MISS.
YOU WATCH HIM BECAUSE AS A
MENTOR OF MINE, NOT JUST A
FRIEND, BUT CERTAINLY A MENTOR
AND EVERYWHERE THAT YOU WOULD
SEE HIM GO, YOU NEVER SAW HIM
PASS BY ANY GROUP OF YOUNG
PEOPLE WITHOUT STOPPING TO TALK
TO THEM, TO ENCOURAGE THEM, TO
TALK ABOUT DON’T GIVE UP, DON’T
GIVE IN, DON’T GIVE OUT AND OF
COURSE, HE PERSONIFIED THAT,
BUT HE ENCOURAGED THEM AND GAVE
THEM HOPE AND INSPIRATION AND
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL
MISS IN OUR SOCIETY AND
CERTAINLY IN THE HALLS OF THE
UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
DAVID: BEAUTIFUL WORDS.
