John Lewis Interview: The Lasting Lessons of Martin Luther King Jr.
Join us for an inspiring conversation with the late civil rights icon and politician John Lewis. In this interview, John Lewis shares his journey from segregated rural Alabama to becoming a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He discusses his first meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his involvement in the Freedom Rides, and his philosophy of "good trouble." Lewis also reflects on the Poor People's Campaign, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, and the enduring struggle for equality and justice. This interview is a part of Life Stories Learning, making it a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about Lewis's unwavering commitment to nonviolence and his vision for a united America.
John Robert Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986, serving in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. He held several leadership positions in the House, including Senior Chief Deputy Whip, and was a member of the House Ways and Committee as well as the Congressional Black Caucus. He earned degrees from the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University. He began his career as a civil rights organizer in 1960 during the Nashville sit-in movement and as a Freedom Rider. He helped plan the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and rose to national prominence after he and Hosea Williams led the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, where he and other peaceful protestors were attacked and beaten on the Edmund Pettis bridge. His commitment to civil rights and social justice has been the hallmark of his career, and he has received multiple national and international awards for his work, including the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” award, and a National Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2010. He wrote multiple best-selling books and continued his work in Congress as a human and civil rights advocate until he passed away on July 17, 2020 at the age of 80.
From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “King in the Wilderness” that follows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life: from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, through personal stories of the people who were around him.
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Chapter Markers:
00:00:44 - John Lewis’ Childhood
00:02:15 - Attending Fisk University
00:02:56 - Meeting Dr. King in 1958
00:05:38 - The Freedom Rides, 1961
00:06:50 - Freedom Summer, Mississippi 1964
00:07:26 - The murder of Chaney, Goodman, and Scherner
00:08:07 - Black Power and SNCC programs
00:09:46 - Poor People’s Campaign
00:10:56 - Influence of Jim Lawson
00:11:55 - Dr. King’s assassination, 1968
00:15:29 - Commitment to nonviolence
00:16:38 - Good Trouble
00:17:49 - Promise of America
00:18:59 - Nonviolence today
00:19:55 - A. Philip Randolph’s legacy
John Lewis, Board Member, SCLC
Interviewed By: Trey Ellis
Interview Date: May 18, 2017
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