GUYS?
>> A GIANT MURAL FOR A MAN WHO
WAS LARGER THAN LIFE.
THANK YOU, BLAYNE.
>> JOHN MEACHUM, HISTORIAN AND
AN AUTHOR OF A NEW BOOK ABOUT
JOHN LEWIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT SATURDAY
MORNING.
HELP US REMEMBER AND THINK ABOUT
THE LEGACY OF JOHN LEWIS.
HE WAS THOUGHT OF AS THE
CONSCIENCE OF CONGRESS.
WHAT HAVE WE ALL LOST THIS
MORNING, JOHN?
>> WE LOST A HUGE PART OF THE
AMERICAN STORY.
THE BEST PARTS -- ONE OF THE
BEST PARTS OF THE HUMAN STORY.
LEWIS IS A TRANSCENDENT FIGURE.
I’M GOING TO USE THE PRESENT
TENSE, BECAUSE HE CONTINUES EVEN
INTO THIS HOUR AND, IF WE DO THE
RIGHT THING, HE WILL CONTINUE TO
INSPIRE AND ILLUMINATE.
HE WAS A GENUINE SAINT.
AND THAT DOESN’T MAKE HIM SOME
ALABASTER FIGURE OR
STAIN-GLASSED FIGURE.
HE WAS A HUMAN BEING WHO WAS
WILLING TO SUFFER AND TO DIE FOR
HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL
AND HOW THAT GOSPEL FOUND
EXPRESSION IN THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA IN THE 20th AND 21st
CENTURIES.
HE WAS ABOUT THE BEATITUDES.
BLESS RTD MEEK, FOR THEY SHALL
INHERIT THE EARTH.
HE UNDERSTOOD THAT, AT ITS BEST,
THE HUMAN DRAMA AND THE AMERICAN
DRAMA IS ABOUT BEING KIND WHEN
THE HUMAN INSTINCT MIGHT BE TO
BE CRUEL.
IT’S ABOUT BEING GENEROUS WHEN
THE HUMAN INSTINCT MIGHT BE TO
BE GREEDY.
AND WHAT HE LED THE COUNTRY WITH
ENUMERABLE OTHERS, HE WOULD BE
THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY THAT, HE
LED THE COUNTRY TO A FULLER
RECOGNITION, IF NOT A FINAL
RECKONING, OF OUR MOST SERIOUS
NATIONAL SENSE.
AND THERE WAS AN EARLY CHRISTIAN
THINKER WHO SAID THAT THE BLOOD
OF THE MARTYRS IS THE SEED OF
THE CHURCH, AND JOHN LEWIS’
BLOOD AND HIS COURAGE AND HIS
CONVICTIONS SHOULD BE THE SEED
OF A BETTER AMERICA.
>> JOHN, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
ROLE THAT CONGRESSMAN LEWIS
PLAYED IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
THE YOUNGEST SPEAKER AT THE
MARCH ON WASHINGTON THAT HE
HELPED ORGANIZE, JUST 23 YEARS
OLD AT THE TIME.
HE RECENTLY RECOUNTED THAT HE
HAS SPENT BASICALLY THE ENTIRETY
OF HIS LIFE IN SOME FORM OR
ANOTHER, FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM
AND FOR EQUALITY.
HOW INFLUENTIAL, HOW
INSTRUMENTAL WAS HE IN THAT
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM?
>> WELL, IN MANY WAYS, DR. KING,
ROSA PARK SS, DR. KING IMMENSELY
IMPORTANT.
JOHN LEWIS WAS A KIND OF -- HE
USED A MILITARY METAPHOR ABOUT A
NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT, HE WAS THE
FIELD COMMANDER, HE WAS THE
SOLDIER WALKING POINT.
HE WAS AT THE FRONT OF THAT LINE
IN SECHLT LMA.
HE WAS ON THE FREEDOM BUS.
HE WAS IN ROCKVILLE, SOUTH
CAROLINA, BEATEN BY A KLANSMAN
WHO, YEARS LATER, AFTER
PRESIDENT OBAMA WON, SAID I’M
HORRIFIED I DID THAT.
I’M SORRY.
AND HE AND JOHN LEWIS BECAME
FRIENDS, BECAUSE LEWIS LIVED OUT
THE CONVICTIONS IN HIS HEART.
LOVE, AS AN IDEAL, WAS NOT AS
SIGNIFICANT TO HIM AS LOVE AS A
REALITY.
AND THIS ALL MAY SOUND KIND OF
AS IF WE’RE IN AN EMOTIONAL
MOMENT ABOUT HIS DEATH.
I KNOW THIS AS WELL AS I KNOW
ANYTHING.
YOU CANNOT BE SENTIMENTAL ABOUT
THIS MAN, BECAUSE HE WAS
PRIDEFUL.
HE COULD LOSE HIS TEMPER, BUT AT
EVERY POINT FROM HIS BIRTH IN
ALABAMA, HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER
WAS A SLAVE.
TO HIM, SLAVERY WASN’T AN
ABSTRACTION.
READING ABOUT THE BROWN VERSUS
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN HIS
GRANDFATHER’S NEWSPAPER, READING
ABOUT THE LYNCHING OF EMMITT
TILL, AND REALIZING THAT COULD
HAVE BEEN ME.
THEY WERE THE SAME AGE.
TO GOING TO SEE DR. KING.
ON AND ON, HE LIVED OUT A
REALITY.
THIS STORY IS MUCH MORE
IMPORTANT THAN JUST CIVIL
RIGHTS.
THIS IS ABOUT THE AMERICAN
CHARACTER.
AND IT’S ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN
STORY OVERALL.
>> JOHN, I LOVE THAT YOU TALK
ABOUT HIM IN THE PRESENT TENSE,
BECAUSE IN HIS FINAL DAYS, HE
WAS STILL FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY
FOR JUSTICE.
HE DID A TOWN HALL WITH FORMER
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
HE SPOKE TO THE NEXT GENERATION.
HE WAS SO OPTIMISTIC AS HE
LOOKED OUT ACROSS THESE PROTESTS
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHICH IN
SOME WAY WAS A CONTINUATION OF
THAT MOVEMENT AS HE SAW IT.
YOU’VE KNOWN HIM.
YOU’VE BEEN CHRONICLING HIM.
WHAT IS A MEMORY THAT STANDS IN
AND OUT YOUR MIND ON THIS DAY
WHEN WE REMEMBER HIM?
>> I THINK IN THESE LAST MONTHS,
THE FACT THAT HE WOULD BE ON THE
PHONE BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS AND
HIS OWN ILLNESS, AND WE WOULD
TALK ABOUT HOW HE WEPT WHEN HE
SAW THE VIDEO OF THE KILLING OF
GEORGE FLOYD.
AND HE REALIZED, HERE IS A
FIGURE WHO BRIDGES IF, YOU WILL,
THESE ERAS, THAT WE MIGHT WANT
TO THINK, OR AS PEOPLE WHO LOOK
LIKE ME WANT TO THINK ARE VERY
DIFFERENT, BUT THERE IS A
THROUGHLINE.
AND IT’S THROUGH JOHN LEWIS’
LIFE FROM SLAVERY, SEGREGATION,
SYSTEMIC RACISM, THE ISSUES
WE’RE CONFRONTING TODAY AND ONE
OF THE FIGURES WHO LINKS THAT
TOGETHER AND WHO WANTED US TO
RISE ABOVE THAT BY DRAWING ON
RELIGIOUS IMPULSES, HE WAS IN
THE STREETS OF AMERICA NOT
BECAUSE OF GANDHI, BUT BECAUSE
OF JESUS OF NAZARETH.
HE WILL TELL YOU -- HE WILL TELL
YOU THAT.
THAT WAS THE DRAMA FOR HIM.
AND TO ME -- AND YOU ALL KNOW
THIS.
YOU WERE AROUND HIM.
YOU WERE AROUND HIM AND YOU
REALIZED YOU WERE IN THE
PRESENCE OF A KIND OF OTHER
WORLDLINESS.
>> FOR SURE.
>> THAT WAS -- YOU WALK THROUGH
THE CAPITAL WITH HIM, ON THAT
BRIDGE WITH HIM, AND YOU WOULD
BE LIFTED UP SIMPLY BY HIS
CHARISMA.
AND CHARISMA IN THE GIFT OF THE
GODS.
IT WASN’T CHARM EXACTLY, THOUGH
HE WAS FUNNY AND CHARMING, BUT
IT WAS THIS POWERFUL, AMBIENT
WITNESS TO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY
PUT INTO ACTION THE GREATEST
COMMANDMENT ANY OF US HAVE EVER
BEEN GIVEN, FROM WHATEVER
TRADITION, NO TRADITION, TO LOVE
ONE ANOTHER AS OURSELVES?
>> BEING IN HIS PRESENCE WAS
CLEAR YOU WERE IN THE PRESENCE
OF A GIANT.
JOHN MEACHAM, THANK YOU FOR