>>
>> WELCOME BACK TO GREAT DAY WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. THIS MORNING IN D.C. AND ACROSS
THE NATION.
THE NATION. WE ARE REMEMBERING THE LAKE
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS THAT
DIED ON FRIDAY.
HE DIED AT THE AGE OF 80.
LEWIS SERVED GEORGIA 5th
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SINCE HE
WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS IN
1986.
1986.
1986. THE
1986. THE GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PLANS TO NAME A NOMINEE THIS
AFTERNOON TO REPLACE THE SPOT
ON THE BALLOT.
TRIBUTES TO THE LATE
CONGRESSMAN ARE STILL COMING IN
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. >> HE WAS A JOYFUL MAN.
HE WAS SOMEONE THAT HAD A GOOD
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. IF
TIME. IF YOU SAW HIM DANCE, HE HAD A
BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE.
HE HAD A JOY THAT JUST WAS
CONTAGIOUS.
CONTAGIOUS. >> KRISTEN, I KNOW THAT YOU HAD
THE PLEASURE AND HONOR TO
INTERVIEW JOHN LEWIS.
>> I DID.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. HE CAME TO VISIT US ON GREAT
DAY WASHINGTON.
DAY WASHINGTON. WHAT AN HONOR AND JOY SHARING
MEMORIES AS WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE PERIOD WHEN HIS CLOSE
FRIEND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING,
JR. DIED WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR
BOBBY KENNEDY.
BOBBY KENNEDY. TAKE A LESSON.
>> WE HEARD THAT DR. KING WAS
SHOT BUT WE DID NOT KNOW OF HIS
CONDITION AND ROBERT KENNEDY
CAME TO SPEAK AND ANNOUNCED
THAT DR. KING HAD BEEN
ASSASSINATED.
ASSASSINATED. A SAD AND DARK HOUR FOR ME.
I GREW UP ONLY 50 MILES SOUTH
OF MONTGOMERY AND I FILED HIM.
HE INSPIRED ME.
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I WOULD
SEE SIGNS WHITE MEN, COLORED
MEN, WHITE LADY, COLORED LADY.
AND I WOULD ASK MY GRAND
PARENTS AND SAY THAT IS WHERE
IT IS.
IT IS.
IT IS. DON'T GET IN THE WAY AND DON'T
GET IN TROUBLE BUT DR. KING
INSPIRED ME.
INSPIRED ME. HE BECAME MY FRIEND.
HE BECAME LIKE A BIG BROTHER.
I MET HIM IN 1958 WHEN I WAS
18.
18.
18. I
18. I WROTE HIM A LETTER WHEN I WAS
17.
17.
17. I
17. I WROTE ROSA PARKS AND THEY SET
ME ON THE PATH AND SPOKE
DIRECTLY TO ME.
JOHN LEWIS, YOU CAN MAKE A
CONTRIBUTION.
CONTRIBUTION. SO WHEN I HEARD THAT HE HAD
DIED, I CRIED.
I CRIED LIKE AMERICA CRIED.
AND I FELT LIKE SOMETHING DIED
IN ME AND SOMETHING DIED IN
AMERICA.
AMERICA.
AMERICA. WE LOST THIS UNBELIEVABLE
LEADER, THE SYMBOL OF FREEDOM
AND JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS.
ALL AROUND OUR COUNTRY PEOPLE
START TO PROTEST AND WIDESPREAD
VIOLENCE BURNING, LEWD.
THE KING OF LOVE IS DEAD WAS
SAID.
SAID.
SAID. YOU
SAID. YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TO
APPEAL THE WAY THAT DR. KING
COULD APPEAL TO PEOPLE.
BUT IN ANNAPOLIS CAME ONE OF
THE CITIES, ONE OF THE FEW
CITIES IN AMERICA THAT DID NOT
BURN BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT
ROBERT KENNEDY HAD WITH THAT
SPEECH.
SPEECH.
SPEECH. IT WAS A VERY MOVING SPEECH.
HE SPOKE FROM THE DEPTHS OF HIS
SOUL BECAUSE AFTER THE RALLY
WAS ALL OVER AND AFTER KENNEDY
FINISHED SPEAKING HE INVITED US
TO HIS SUITE IN A HOTEL AND WE
TALKED AND HE SAID YOU GOT TO
GO BACK TO ATLANTA AND HELP
PLAN FOR THE FUNERAL.
AND HE CANCELED ALL OF HIS
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND WENT
TO CLEVELAND, OHIO AND SPOKE
AND THEN HE CAME TO ATLANTA.
I SAID TO MYSELF, WE HEARD THAT
DR. KING HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED
WHERE WE STILL HAVE BOBBY AND
TWO MONTHS LATER HE WAS GONE.
>> NOW WE SPOKE TO CONGRESSMAN
JOHN LEWIS ABOUT TODAY'S
EQUALITY AND THE PROGRESS TO BE
MADE.
MADE.
MADE. THIS IS IN 2018 AND THIS IS THE
MESSAGE HE HAD FOR US.
>> WE HAVE COME A DISTANCE.
WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS.
WE STILL HAVE A DISTANCE TO
TRAVEL BEFORE WE LAY DOWN THE
BURDEN OF RACE AND HATE.
DR. KING SAID HATE IS TOO HEAVY
OF A BURDEN TO BEAR.
THAT WE ARE ONE PEOPLE AND THAT
WE ARE ONE FAMILY AND THAT WE
ALL LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE, THE
AMERICAN HOUSE AND WE MUST
LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER AS
BROTHERS AND SISTERS IF NOT, WE
WILL PERISH AS FOOLS.
WE MUST CREATE THE BELOVED
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. WE MUST LAY DOWN THE BURDEN OF
RACE.
RACE.
RACE. WE
RACE. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE.
WE ARE ONE FAMILY.
SO IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE ARE
A LITTLE BLACK OR WHITE OR
LATINO OR NATIVE AMERICAN, WE
HAVE TO MAKE IT WORSE.
WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.
WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION AND THERE HAVE BEEN
SETBACKS, WHEN I SAW WHAT
HAPPENED IN VIRGINIA, IT MADE
ME CRY.
ME CRY.
ME CRY. I
ME CRY. I FELT WE HAD COME MUCH FURTHER
THAN THE VIOLENCE AND ANY
REACTION OF SO MANY PEOPLE.
WE WILL GET THERE.
THE CHILDREN, THE CHILDREN WILL
GET US THERE.
THESE UNBELIEVABLE SMART,
GIFTED YOUNG PEOPLE WILL GET US
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. THE CHILDREN IN SELMA.
THE CHILDREN IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE SOUTH DURING THE SIT-INS
AND THE FREEDOM RIDE AND THE
GENERATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN
WILL GET US THERE.
>> WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THAT
YOUNG GENERATION.
YOUNG GENERATION. NO WORD ON A FUNERAL FOR HIS
LIFE AND LEGACY BUT SOME PEOPLE
ARE CALLING FOR THE BRIDGE IN
SELMA WHERE LEWIS WAS ALMOST
KILLED IN THE BLOODY MARCH TO
BE RENAMED AFTER HIM.
SUCH