I
I JUST
I JUST WANT TO SHOW MY FACE. HOW LONG AGO DID THEY CALL?
IN ONE EVENING, I WENT TO LIKE
SEVEN RECEPTIONS.
SEVEN RECEPTIONS. >> GIVE NO HINT OF HIS 70
YEARS.
.
. >>
. >> YOU'RE GOING UP, I'M GOING
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. >>
DOWN. >> CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS
STARTED THIS DAY AT 7:00 A.M.
TODAY THE HOUSE WILL VOTE ON
HEALTH CARE.
HEALTH CARE. AND BETWEEN COMMITTEE MEETINGS
AND HIS SCHEDULED LATE
AFTERNOON SPEECH ON THE HOUSE
FLOOR, WHEREVER HE GOES, HE'S
GREETED WITH HERO STATUS.
>> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> BY DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS.
REPUBLICANS. >> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> AND PLAIN ORDINARY PEOPLE.
>> YOU ARE A HERO OF THIS
NATION.
NATION.
NATION. >> JOHN LEWIS IS A LIVING
LEGEND.
LEGEND.
LEGEND. ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF A
DESEGREGATED AMERICA.
DESEGREGATED AMERICA. ALONGSIDE DR. MARTIN LUTHER
KING, WHOM HE WISHES COULD
STILL GIVE HIM GUIDANCE.
>> SOMETIMES WHEN I'M SITTING
ON THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE,
MAYBE I'M GOING TO SPEAK.
I SAY TO MYSELF, I WONDER WHAT
WOULD DR. KING DO.
I WONDER WHAT COULD DR. KING
SAY.
SAY.
SAY. >>
SAY. >> PRIDED THOUGHTS ABOUT THE
GREAT MAN WHO CHANGED LEWIS'
LIFE AND PUT HIM TOO ON THE
PATH OF GREATNESS.
>> PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL HONOR
LEWIS WITH THE MEDAL OF
FREEDOM.
FREEDOM.
FREEDOM. >> HE WAS TOLD A FEW MONTHS
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. >>
AGO. >> I
AGO. >> I SAID MR. PRESIDENT, YOU
NEED TO STOP, YOU KEEP ON
TALKING YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME
CRY.
CRY.
CRY. AND
CRY. AND HE BELIEVES HE SAID GO
AHEAD AND CRY.
>> AND YOU DID.
>> I DID.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. >> RECOGNITION OF HIS WORK
CONDUCTED IN THE STREETS OF
NASHVILLE, MONTGOMERY,
NASHVILLE, MONTGOMERY, BIRMINGHAM, AND SELMA BACK IN
THE 60s.
THE 60s.
THE 60s. WORK THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR
SUCH AN HONOR TO BE BESTOWED BY
THE NATION'S FIRST BLACK
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT
YOU WILL SAY?
>> ON BEHALF OF COUNTLESS
INDIVIDUALS THAT STOOD THERE IN
SELMA TRYING TO REGISTER TO
VOLT.
VOLT.
VOLT. >>
VOLT. >> FOR THOSE WHO WENT ON
FREEDOM RIDES 50 YEARS AGO.
FOR THOSE BEATEN EVEN MURDERED
FOR THE SAKE OF EQUALITY.
>> IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE
DISTANCE THAT I'VE COME.
>> IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT A
POWER GREATER THAN HIMSELF AND
A DESTINY HE HAD TO LIVE.
>> FROM THE JIM CROW DAYS OF
TROY ALABAMA TO THE HALLS OF
CONGRESS TO THE PRESIDENTIAL
MEDAL OF FREEDOM.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS' LIFE
JOURNEY IS NOTHING SHORT OF A
PURPOSED MIRACLE.
PURPOSED MIRACLE. >> WE'RE GOING TO WALK
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. >> I HEARD THE WORDS OF DR.
KING ON THE RADIO.
IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS SAYING,
YOU TOO, JOHN LEWIS, CAN DO
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. >> HE STARTED A JOURNEY NOT FOR
THE FAINT OF HEART.
>> DOES IT EVER CROSS YOUR
MIND, WOW.
MIND, WOW. HOW DID I HAVE THE NERVE?
>> WELL, EVERY SO OFTEN, YOU'LL
SORT OF SAY WHY?
HOW DID WE SIT ON THAT LUNCH
COUNTER STOOL AND LET SOMEONE
SPIT ON YOU.
PUT A LIGHTED CIGARETTE OUT IN
YOUR HAIR.
YOUR HAIR. HOW DO YOU STAY THERE AND LET
SOMEBODY PULL YOU OFF THE STOOL
AND BEAT YOU.
>> IT WASN'T UNTIL HE GOT
ARRESTED THAT HIS MOTHER
FINALLY LEARNED HE JOINED THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
>> SHE WROTE ME A LETTER.
AND MY MIDDLE NAME IS ROBERT.
SHE SAID DEAR ROBERT.
YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS
MESS BEFORE YOU GET HURT.
>> HE DIDN'T LISTEN.
.
. >>
. >> LEADING A MARCH ACROSS THE
EDMONDS BRIDGE IN SELMA PROVED
A MOTHER'S INTUITION TRUE.
.
. >>
. >> LEWIS NEVER IMAGINED
VIOLENCE THAT DAY.
HE JUST THOUGHT HE'D BE CARTED
OFF TO JAIL.
>> I WAS WEARING A BACKPACK.
IN THE BACKPACK I HAD TWO
BOOKS.
BOOKS.
BOOKS. AN
BOOKS. AN APPLE, AN ORANGE, TOOTHPASTE
AND A TOOTHBRUSH.
THIS IS THE FIRST MEETING TO
PLAN THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON.
THIS ON THE LEFT, A 23-YEAR-
OLD JOHN LEWIS, WHO WOULD BE
THE YOUNGEST SPEAKER ON ONE OF
THE NATION'S MOSTLY STORE I CAN
DAYS.
DAYS.
DAYS. HE
DAYS. HE STILL REMEMBERS HIS SPEECH.
>> SO YOU TELL US TO WAIT.
YOU TELL US TO BE PATIENT.
WE CANNOT WAIT.
WE CANNOT BE PATIENT.
WE WANT OUR FREEDOM.
AND WE WANT IT NOW.
>> OF THE BIG SIX LEADER OF THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
JOHN LEWIS IS CONSIDERED THE
MOST COURAGEOUS THE MOVEMENT
EVER PRODUCED.
EVER PRODUCED. HE'S ALSO THE ONLY ONE OF THE
SIX STILL LIVING.
>> YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE WHAT I
CALL THE SPIRIT OF HISTORY IS
GOING TO LEAD YOU.
A LOT OF TIMES WE COME OUT
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> THE MAN WHO SO DEFIANTLY
CHALLENGED THE NATION YEARS AGO
IS NOW PART OF THIS NATION'S
ESTABLISHMENT.
ESTABLISHMENT. WITH A REMINDER EVERYDAY JUST
OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE WINDOW.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU REALLY
LOVE POETRY.
LOVE POETRY. >> YEAH, I LOVE POETRY.
I LOVE MUSIC.
>> A HUMBLE MAN WHOSE WORK
HELPED CLANG A NATION.
>> FAVORITE MUSIC?
KIND OF MUSIC?
>> GOSPEL.
>> GOSPEL. I LOVE GOSPEL MUSIC.
>> A NATIONAL TREASURE STILL IN
THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND
EQUALITY.
EQUALITY.
EQUALITY. >> FAVORITE SONG?
FAVORITE ARTIST?
FAVORITE ARTIST? >> ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS IS
THE GOSPEL SONG "ORDER MY
STEPS."
STEPS."
STEPS." PERHAPS BECAUSE IT SEEMS
SOMETHING BEYOND HIMSELF HAS
INDEED ORDERED HIS STEPS.
>> WHAT MEMORY OF YOUR LIFE
WOULD YOU WANT TO RELIVE?
>> MAYBE JUST MAYBE WHEN WE
WERE WALKING BETWEEN SELMA AND
MONTGOMERY WITH DR. KING, THE
SUN WAS SHINNING, WE WERE JUST
WALKING, TALKING, AND EVERY NOW
AND THEN SOMEONE WOULD SING A
SONG.
SONG.
SONG. IT
SONG. IT WAS LIKE A HOLY MARCH.
I FELT LIKE