this conflict, there is little organization. people react very quickly. there are really calm days where nothing is going on. nothing is going to happen. there are some negotiations in the europe and the u.s. and russia. people continue to live in the same apartment and suddenly, very quickly, things change. very quickly. in one morning. it is really chaotic. were takinges whatever they can take to run. they were bombing their houses. if you see the smoke in the

picture, it was really near. they were fighting in the corner. they did not know where to go basically. the rebels organized some kind of shelter but there was nothing for all of the civilians. so everybody was running and trying to take cover basically, without any organization. that is why so many civilians are killed because the rebels fight among the civilians. you have to understand here is a phone line, here is where they fight, like a conventional war. in the army is coming here. thatat was another picture was important to find. if then they are iconic or not,

we tried to show, we try to select the pictures that tell the story. i do not know where the families go. and some of the guys say, where am i going? i will stay here. this is my house. i have nowhere to go. my brother was killed yesterday and i am going to stay here in till the end. it was really strong to see people that were basically waiting to die. that was every day. >> you talked about that also. a fundamental loss of human dignity where you have to flee your home but you don't know what is going to happen. >> absolutely. some of the flareups and the meeting points were opposition soldiers. there are civilians there.

they do not want to leave. they are not going to leave, the shelling is so bad they have to. their apartment might be hit two or three times. so unless the apartment building is completely destroyed, they are not going to leave. they tried to go to and family apartment block. and once that is shelter bomb, they arentially refugees. and then they go to the border. they go to the border with turkey and some of them apply. most people i know do not want to leave syria. syria is their home. they do not want to live in turkey. it is a different country. i do not want to go to jordan.

they can't stay. for them, it is a tremendous loss of dignity because they see their family living in a refugee mp. this is a society that is conservative. very little privacy. it is a huge loss of dignity. ini said earlier today, refugee camps. you go inside of a tent and it is clean. they clean their tents. they wash their clothes. they tried to keep as much dignity as they can. in a place that, in a country that robbed them of many dignities. >> it is a really tough decision. it is the u.s. trying to help us

we are talking, come with us. come with us to turkey. my mother is going to turkey. my girlfriend is here. if they get killed i am in turkey, how can i leave? .ow can i be in that situation they ask these questions every day. the men of fighting age? they joined the opposition. they did not want to maybe, they did not want to fight, they did not like both sides. aleppo was not joining the fight, for example, until the

fight came aleppo. once you lose everything, you see your mother and your father, in a refugee camp, living with very little ditty, then your choices are very clear. and most likely you lost family members. that would turn anybody into -- >> >> it is important to take pictures of the complexity of the situation. it is not the good and the bad. it is everything is really complicated. , somebody engineers killed in a bomb. but you are not politically involved in the

rebels. so for me, those complex pictures tell the story in a different way and show that confusion because the war is confusion. ppictures tell the story in a different way and show that confusion because the war is confusion. it is not good and bad. >> it is never black and white. it is always a shade of gray. i met this young 20-year-old through this place. i met him at the border. his father lost his legs in artillery. a mortar shell fell inside their living room. the mother was blind, by the same shell. and they lost a sister and a brother. they were still in shock, figuring out what they're going to do. 22 months later i met that young man again on the front lines and he had been fighting a week after i had met him. he joined a group and started fighting.

i think anybody would do that. inyou are involved journalistic photography, which, --a risk of your own lines, lives, and now you have won a pulitzer. what impact is going to have on your career and how you are perceived by your colleagues, on which you think as you go out the door for your next assignment? >> rodrigo said it well. i am flattered and i am honored to receive this award. it does not make it any better than our colleagues. a lot of my friends i have a lot of respect for that worked in many other places. it does not have to be conflict. it does not make you a better

photographer. it is really nice when somebody points the finger at you and says, well done. but it does not make you any better. it is important to keep your feet on the ground. for they pulitzer, specifically for some people -- for some reason people listen to what you have to say more than they used to. [laughter] i don't know why. nothing has changed. i am the same guy. but now for some reason people listen to you. >> even relatives. [laughter] they did not call you in 20 years. oh, your son. for all of the people, you are never going to amount to

anything. >> human nature. ,avier manzano, rodrigo abd thank you for your photography, your courage, your dedication and commitment. i appreciate you giving us insight on what it means to be a freshly crowned pulitzer winner. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> remarks from john lewis on his experiences during the civil rights movement. and then a ceremony at the u.s. capitol for john dingell who became the longest-serving member of congress last month. after that, highlights from our series on america's first ladies. congress is on break for the

fourth of july. when the house returns, lawmakers will begin crafting a strategy to consider immigration legislation. republicans are scheduled to meet behind closed doors to map out a plan. senators are expected to take up the issue of student loan rates, which doubled on july 1. for the rest of the month the house and senate will devote their time to moving the annual spending bills that fund the government. the agriculture bill is ready for action and the senate appropriations committee has completed work on four of the 12 bills. all chambers return on monday at 2 p.m. eastern. america is the land of opportunity. there are so many things you can accomplish in my lifetime and really my daughter has hollow

those opportunities. i think that is one of the greatest things about america. she can do whatever she wants. it does not matter her sex, her nationality, her race. i think that opportunity our forefathers fought for his resident and available to me. i think it is great. i can use that and build a great life and be happy. have to know the history of america. i know my history, my culture. i am black and native american. i am very thankful for what i have but at the same time i know if i would ask my grandmother or somebody it would be a different answer. you have to play your part, do the right thing. go to work. can't be relying on the government to pay for your living. i think that is a big thing. a lot of people on welfare or

people have money, they try to use the system. that plays a big role, people do need money. i think if everybody would be honest and work hard, this country could be even greater than it already is. >> i am canadian. i have lived here a few years. i haven't american daughter but i would say you live in a free country in north america in general. ,ou have so many opportunities opportunities to grow and do different things with your life. you can honestly change the course of your life from wherever you are at. i find a big reference in the u.s. we tend to be pushy with things and in canada we tend to be relaxed. we do our best to move ahead but not the as pushy. that is something i have noticed.

i am true to my homeland but i love the u.s. that does what i think it means to be an american. >> bill clinton and chris christie discussed planning for and persevering through natural disasters. to give advice to u.s. governors on ways to plan for future disasters and what the federal government can do to help. the event was held by the clinton global initiative in chicago and we will show that to you at 8:00 p.m. mondays -- on c-span. after that, it definition on how american citizenship has changed. analysts will speak about political engagement, community service, self-governance. that begins at eight: 45. also, interviews by the museum with for photographers rodrigo abd of the associated press and javier manzano.

those photos included images of the syrian civil war and we will hear more about the stories behind those pictures tonight at 10 p.m. eastern on c- span. >> they thought they would leave behind the racism. the sun did shine more benignly on them. but i remember a number of them telling me it was a more cruel kind of racism. a smile on the face but a dagger in the back. that is how they describe california. they were not allowed to live in the of the cities. not even the small towns. the only land that was available where these patches of land. when you look at it, it was so salty it was almost like it snowed there. this was the land available to them. they build their wooden shacks here. no water.

they had to go into town. no city sewers. they had out houses. no police in the area. it was a no man's land. okies, on the black african-americans whom migrated to bakersfield, california as we explore the history of bakersfield to this weekend on c-span2 in american history tv on c-span3. on his lewis is next experiences during the civil rights movement. he participated in several famous events like the 1963 march on washington. he spoke at the national archives last month as part of the 50th anniversary of the 150h on washington in the of the emancipation proclamation. it is an hour and a half. >> john lewis is no stranger to

the national archives. in 2006 he launched the successful exhibit eyewitness, american originals. exhibit features his testimony from the court case arising from the 1965 leddy sunday from selma to montgomery in support of voting rights that were stopped by state troopers. he is also chairman of the host committee formed by the foundation of the national archives to promote our celebration of the anniversary of the emancipation proclamation this year. garnering more than 9000 visitors over the new year's holiday this year. the host committee is a group of former presidents and first ladies, civic and community leaders, historians and authors and celebrities. he also contributed the introduction to a proclamation book and tonight and there are

copies signed by congressman available for purchase in the lobby. and he has agreed to remain for a brief time after the program. described as a lawmaker whose fingerprints are on some of the nations most significant tributes and monuments to the contributions of african- americans to american culture, the son of sharecroppers was inspired by the counts of the bus boycott in the words of dr. martin luther king jr. he heard on radio broadcast. the inspiration led to action as is a student -- as a student, he organized a sit ins and later he helped form a nonviolent coordinating committee, which he later led. at the age of 23, he was the youngest speaker at the march on washington in 1963 and the sole surviving speaker. he helped organize the bloody

sunday march across selma. he had made his mark as a public servant. in 1981 he was elected to the atlanta city council and then to congress as a representative from georgia in 1986. he has served in the democratic leadership in today is a senior member of the house ways and means committee. joining him in conversation is scott simon. he is the host of weekend edition saturday on national public radio. he joined npr in 1977 and since then he has reported from all 50 states on the covered campaigns in eight wars, reported from central america, africa, the middle east, and the caribbean. he has received numerous honors including the columbia university award. peabody award, the presidential award, a unity award for media

and a 1982 emmy. when he was awarded the 2010 medal freedom, congressman lewis said it is important for people to know the story and the full story of americans for generations yet unborn. it is important to leave history to inspire, inform, and educate. i can't think of a better place than to give this conversation that at the national archives. lee's welcomes scott simon and john lewis. -- please welcome scott simon and congressman john lewis. [applause] >> i am going to open in a way

that might be redundant. i am fortunate enough to have two young children so i am learning history all over again. and one of the things we learned is that we all stand on the shoulders of great men and women who have gone before us and i think no pair of shoulders in the history of america are stronger than those on this man here, john lewis. [applause] i am sure he is going to be great. he is going to be enlightening, funny, warm, moving, inspiring but before we ask you to utter a word, could we stand and on behalf of america, give him an ovation for what he has done for us? [applause]

how many times have you been arrested? [laughter] >> i was arrested and jailed 40 times. since i have been in congress, about four times. [laughter] >> all for matters of principle. we are talking about a member of congress. protesting around the problems in south africa. and the sudan. and a group of us went to jail. >> what was it like to be in a prison in the segregated south of the united states in the 1960s when even the prisons were

segregated? >> i must tell you it was not simple and not easy. you get arrested with your fellow sisters and brothers who happen to be white, asian american, native american, latino, you were put in the jail and you were segregated. the outside world, but to be arrested in nashville or to be arrested in birmingham or montgomery or selma or atlanta, you also had racial discrimination. segregation was real. i grew up in rural level bama and i thought it was -- rural

alabama, colored waiting, white waiting, i would ask my parents, my great grandparents, why? they would say, that is the way it is. don't get in the way. i was inspired to get in trouble. necessary travel. going to jail became a place , mississippi, alabama, we studied. we studied the philosophy of nonviolence in jail. we conducted nonviolent workshops. it made us more determined to fight the fight. >> i realize you have to be approximate, how many times were you assaulted, beaten? >> a few times here and there. i did not try to keep up with the number of times someone punched me or poured water on

me. hit me in the face or someone would spit on us. i guess the worst incident occurred during a sit in when somebody locked us up in a restaurant in nashville and tried to fumigate the place with us in it. and the local officials came up and broke the windows in order to open the door and led us out. >> what were the first freedom rights like? >> i came to washington, d.c. in 1961. i was a few pounds lighter. there was 15 of us. seven white and six african- americans. they could not board a roundhouse bus and be seated

together and leave the city of washington and travel to the rest of the south. but on that night on one night, in training and orientation, we went to a chinese restaurant. growing up in alabama, i had never been to a chinese restaurant. i never had chinese food. we had a wonderful meal. they had a lazy susan. you would turn in turn, the food was wonderful. , eache said that night well. this may be like the last supper. the next summer a group of us boarded a bus and others a

greyhound bus. i will never forget it. andrrived in north carolina a young man, young african- american man entered a so- called white waiting room and and try to get his shoes shined in a so-called white barbershop. he was arrested and taken to jail. then later the next morning he went to trial and a jury dismissed the charges against him. the two of us tried to enter a white waiting room in south carolina. the minute we walked through the door a group of young men attacked us and left us. the locals officials wanted to know whether we wanted to press charges. we said we came in peace. with love.

we believe in nonviolence. many years later one of the individuals that attacked me came to my washington office, february 2009, about a month after president obama had been inaugurated in with his son to seek out the people he had wronged. this man said to me, mr. lewis, i am one of the people that beat you. will you forgive me? i want to apologize. son started crying. i started to cry. they hugged me. i have been back. -- i hugged them back. we call each other brother. that was the what the movement was all about. to be reconciled. to lay down the burden of race.

>> let me ask you to use your fine sense of intelligence and character to tell us what went on over the years. what turned their hearts? many people grew to not a vastre is difference in humankind. they saw many of us living the teachings of gandhi, the teaching of the great teacher. the teaching of martin luther king jr.. and they did not see hate. they saw us as peaceful participants that wanted to bring people together. and all across the american south i ran into people every day. thank you for freeing me. thank you for making me a little more human.

we hugged, we laughed, sometimes we cried. dr. king used to speak about the ability of the movement to transform people, to redeem the soul of america. we want to create a beloved community. i think people saw that. we did not become bitter or hostile. oneanted to become community, one family, what i like to call one house. not just an american house, but a world house. >> by the way, you and i are probably playing to the c-span cameras. everybody wants to get a good look at you. [laughter] get you to take us back thehat day, march 7, 1965,

bridge in selma. this is like beacon hill. >> you must remember selma was alabama. located in black people of were registered to vote. people had been standing in lines. my own organization had been working there off and on since 1962. after the march on washington in 1963, many of us went into selma, we went into mississippi and other places. in order to become a registered voter in selma, you had to pass a so-called literacy test. people were asked to interpret the constitution of the state of alabama.

count thes asked to number of jelly beans in a jar. man was asked to count the number of jelly beans in a jar. there was a man, a big man, tall, he had a gun on one side, a nightstick on the other. he had an electric cattle prod. he did not use it on carol's. -- on cows. he had a pin that said "never." sometimes i felt he was just mean. he went to bed mean. he dreamed mean. he got up mean. he made it hard and difficult for many of the citizens to make it up those steps, to get registered. , 35 mileshometown

from selma, there was a demonstration in mid february and a young man tried to protect his mother. there was a confrontation. he was shot in the stomach and died a few days later in selma. because of what happened to him we made a decision we would march from selma to montgomery to the nation into the world that people of color wanted to register to vote. 11 of the comments we had to did not have a single registered african-american voter in the county. so on sunday, 1965, at the olenth we conducted a nonvi workshop and people lined up to

walk from selma to montgomery. we came to the edge of the bridge, crossing the alabama river, and a young man by the name of jose williams, walking with me said can you swim? i said no. i said can you swim? he said yes. a little. i said there is too much water down there. we are not going to jump. we are going straight ahead. i was wearing a backpack, before that became fashionable. [laughter] and i had two books, i wanted to have something to read in jail. i wanted to have something to eat. i had an apple and an orange. since i was going to be in jail with my friends, i wanted to be able to brush my teeth. i had to paste and eight toothbrush -- toothpaste and a

toothbrush. nobody said a word. we came to the highest point on the bridge. we saw a sea of blue, alabama state troopers. behind the troopers we saw members of the sheriff's office. he had requested all white men over the age of 21 team down to the courthouse on a saturday night to be deputized to stop the march. we came within distance of the state troopers and a man said, this is an unlawful march. you will be allowed to continue. you should go back to your homes or return to your church. and i was a williams said to miss a moment to kneel and pray. and he said troopers advance. and so these men put on their gas masks. they came toward us.

beating us with sticks, and releasing tear gas. i was hit in the head with a nightstick. one of the first ones to take a below. i thought i saw death. i thought i was going to die. i thought it was my last nonviolent protest. i lost in some way consciousness and i do not remember, i do not recall but i made it across the bridge to the church. i guess somebody carried me back. being at acall church. it was full to capacity. more than 2000 people trying to get in. someone said, say something to the audience. i stood up and said something like, i do not understand.

our president is sending troops to vietnam but can't send troops to selma, alabama, to protect people who want to register to vote. and the next thing i knew i had been submitted to the hospital. operated by a group of nuns/. they were brave. they took care of us. 17 of us hospitalized. the next morning on monday, dr. martin luther king jr. came to y bedside.e to m dr. king said don't worry. we will make it to montgomery. will beng act right passed. from religious leaders to come to selma. on march 9, more than 1000 religious leaders came to selma

and later that night, three , one of themrs from boston, went out to get something to eat at a restaurant. they werereturned, attacked by members of the klan. the reverend was sosa barely beaten he had to be transferred to a hospital in birmingham and the next day he died. because of what happened in selma, president johnson called governor wallace to washington to try to get assurance from him he would be able to protect us. wonderful man. he testified what happened. governor wallace to

-- the governor could not ensure the president you would be able to protect us so president dayson came to congress a after bloody sunday. and made one of the meaningful speeches and the american president had made in modern time. over the question of voting rights and civil rights. he started by saying i speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. as time, history, and fate meet at a single place for what was hee than a century ago, introduced the voting rights act, and before he concluded his

speech, he said and we shall overcome. so today we call it the we shall overcome speech. and the congress gave him a standing ovation and i was sitting there with family as we watched and listening to dr. king. tears came down his face. i started crying and i said, if we make it from selma, , president johnson called on the military to protect us all the way over those five days from walking from selma to montgomery. people,as not just 600 but more than 25,000 people from all over america. some members of congress, the elected officials can, the religious community, and it changed america.

did, i just gave a little blood [laughter] >> how do you love your country after happen to you? >> how do i? >> yes, how did you maintain or grow to love the united states after what happened to you? >> by continuing to love america. i wanted to make america better. i wanted to make america live up to those principles, that we are one people, one family, one house. and it does not matter whether you're black or white, latino, .sian american, native american we are one. >> back in 1963, the march on washington, it is one of the

anniversary to be are observing. i have read that your the only speaker at that march in washington who is still with us. so far as you know, is that the case? spoke no. 6. dr. king spoke no. 10. .t was a wonderful coalition but you know, before the march itself, president kennedy had vetted us at the white house. we met with him in june of 1963. and we told them that we were going to have a march, and mr. randolph was considered the dean of african american leadership. he was always wanting to have a march on washington. so he convinced us it was time for us to march.

and a few days later after meeting the president, we met in new york city at old roosevelt hotel on -- >> 42nd. >> right, 42nd. i walked by their sometimes there sometimes. and we invited four white religious leaders to join us, and we issued the call to the march 3 we thought we would get 50 to 75 people. to the march. we thought we would get 50 to 75 people. we hear of a hot young lady -- of a young lady who worked in the office in new york.

we called her up and we said, ruschel, how many people come in from new york? how many people are coming from philadelphia, boston? how many will be on the train coming from the south? how many people coming from the west coast. -- from the west coast? and i remember so well that morning in 1963, the 10 of us, the six plus the four, came up on capitol hill. we met with the leadership of the house, both democrat and republican. we had been on the senate side, constitution ave. and we met with republican leadership, democrat leadership, and we came out of those a seangs and we could see of humanity coming from union station, and we knew was going to be big.

we were suppose to be leading the march. the people were already marching. it was like saying, there go my people. let me catch up with them. [laughter] and this sea of humanity just pushed us, pushed us. so we just locked arms and started moving toward the washington 10 monument, on toward the lincoln memorial. it was a wonderful time, i think, in american history. >> i have read a few accounts that suggest you had some remarks that were prepared to make. and people wanted to change them. true.l, that is my original speech was pretty strong. the people in administration took the position that a person had a sixth grade education they should be considered literate and should

be registered to vote. my organization, we took the position that the only qualification to register to vote should be age and residence. my speech withn the help and encouragement of my were black and so women in africa carrying signs, one-man, one-vote. in my washington speech i said something like, " one-man, one- vote is the african cry. it is ours, to, it must be paired and further down in the speech i said something like, we are involved in a series revolution. they did not like me using the word revolution. and another part of the speech i talked about the black masses. they said, where using that? randolph came to my rescue.

he said, there is nothing wrong with a revolution. there's nothing wrong with "the black masses." i use it myself sometimes. but the proposed speech said, today, we march for jobs and freedom. we don't have anything to be proud of. are starvation wages, or no wages are all out -- at all. and then i talked about the .arty of kennedy the party of rockefeller, the party of goldwater, where is that party? speech,he end of the this is what got to some people , iby the end of the speech said, you tell us to wait. you tell us to be patient.

we cannot be patient. we cannot wait. we want our freedom and we want it now. and they said to me, john, you cannot say, we cannot be patient i think they were just being facetious. and the church that, you cannot say that. they had a line in there that said, if we do not see meaningful progress here today, the day will come when we will not confine our march on washington. maybe forced to watch -- to march to the south the way sherman did not violate. non-violently. [laughter] so the negotiations started. to mr.time we got lincoln, we had a conference, a

consultation with mr. wilkens of the naacp and a philip randolph and dr. martin luther king jr., and dr. king said temeka majane, did that sound like you? said to me, john, did that sound like you? and randolph said, can we stay together? i could not say militant brand of. he was my hero -- i could not say no to randolph. he was my hero. in 1955 when i was 15 years old i first met him. i met him when i was 18. i suggested that we had the seven villages, seven hamlets. and i said, wake up america, wake up america.

the rest is history. >> i did want to ask about some of the noted people that you have known over the years. let's begin with dr. king. birthday,man whose whose life we now celebrate every year as a national holiday. you knew him well before he was a national holiday. >> dr. martin luther king jr. was a wonderful man, a wonderful human being. i will try to make this short period -- short. inn i was growing up, alabama, finishing high school in 1957, i wrote dr. king in a letter and i told him i needed help. i needed his support. i wanted to attend a little state college called tristate. it is only 2 miles from my home. they did not admit black students. he wrote me back and send me a

bus ticket. he was very poor and didn't have wasmoney -- he knew i reported to have any money. -- i was very poor and didn't have any money. in the meantime, my uncle gave me a $100 bill. it was more money than i have ever had. he gave me footlocker. as a little boy, i used to raise chickens, and i used to preach to the chickens. [laughter] i put everything that i owned in that footlocker except for those little chickens. and i went to school. and i was there for like two ands -- for about two weeks i told one of the teachers that i knew dr. king. this teacher knew dr. king well. he informed dr. king that i was in school. dr. morant -- dr. martin luther king got in touch with me and

suggested i come see him. in march, by this time i'm 18 years old. i boarded a greyhound bus. i traveled from detroit to my memory, and a young lawyer by the name of fred graham, who had been a lawyer -- fred gray, who had been a lawyer for rosa parks and dr. king, met me at the greyhound bus station and drove me to the first baptist church to see a colleague of dr. king. and he assured me in to the -- and he ushered me into the offices of the church. dr. king spoke up and said, are you the boy youtroy? are you john lewis? said, and dr. king, i am john robert louis. i gave my whole name. this man, i admired him.

i loved this man. he inspired me. he lifted me. philosophyme with a of love and nonviolence. he was a funny man and could make you laugh. he could tell jokes. you try say, john, do to preach? and i would say, yes, sometimes, when i'm taking a shower. and hewould just laugh would mach some of the ministers that he knew, and the deacons in the church. and he was laughing at his own jokes. he thought he was so funny. he was wonderful. i remember one time we were driving in alabama and someplace and he said, let's stop and get something to eat. if we get arrested and go to

jail, will have a full summit. .- a full stomach he was funny. >> what was bull connor like? >> oh, he was something. on one hand, he could be very mean. when we were taken out of jail during the freedom ride in birmingham, taken out of jail, seven of us, he had already arrested two young people at the city limits of birmingham, a young black man and a young white man because they were sitting on the front seat of the bus and they refused to move. segregation was strictly enforced in birmingham. one night about 4:00 on a friday morning, he came up to our jail cell and said he was taking us back to nashville.

was traveling on a regular greyhound bus and he asked to see all of our tickets. from nashvilled to birmingham, birmingham to montgomery, montgomery to jackson, jackson to new orleans. he let aggregator passengers get off the bus, kept us on the bus, then he ordered the police officials to place newspaper and cardboard over the windows, the windshield, the back of the bus to keep the photographers and reporters from seeing us inside of the bus. jail,s, placed us in placed us in protective custody. car riding inthe the same car with me. was takingsaying, he it back to nashville, to our

college campuses. and one of the young ladies in our group said, mr. conner, mr. commissioner? >> that is right, he was the safety commissioner. >> he was the director of safety. he could have lunch, or breakfast with us in the student union. he was engaging. and we're right at the tennessee-alabama state line he said, i'm letting you off here. it is claimed territory. he said, you can make it back the best way. a bus will be coming along. a train will be coming along, but you cannot come back to alabama. we start walking, and one of the african-american students said, there must be some black people here. there must be some colored folks here someplace. we kept walking and we came up on an old shotgun house and

knocked on the door. we kept knocking and an elderly black man came to the door. we said, we are the freedom riders. we are in trouble. please, let us in. he closed the door. heard as knocking again and knocking, and she came and said to her husband, baby, please let them in. let them in. he took the seven of us and placed us in the back room. we had been on a hunger strike. we have not had anything to eat since tuesday night, may 16. we left nashville wednesday morning, may 17. this was early friday morning now. he said as. we gave this gentleman some

money at the like to go to a shop to get us some cold cuts. juice,g, cheese, milk, anything. and this man, bless his soul, so smart. he went to seven different places, try not to alarm anybody or make people aware that he was buying all of this food for us. and he brought the food back and we made a call back to nashville and a young lady by the name of diane-, who helped coordinate the freedom riders, she wanted to know whether we wanted to come back to nashville or did we want to go back to birmingham. and she sent us 11 other .ackages it was code and it meant there were 11 other students who left by train to continue the freedom ride. and we told her that we wanted

to return to birmingham. a young 18-a car, year-old student at tennessee university jumped in his car and drove to the spot where rework and drove us back to birmingham -- where we work and drove us back to birmingham. and the two young men who had been arrested were released from jail and joined us. one young lady was a student. her father got her and took her back to nashville. back with the shuttle -- where the shuttle was. at 5:30 p.m. when down to the greyhound station to board the bus, and a bus driver made a classic statement. he said, i only have one life to give. i'm not going to give it to the poor or the naacp. and he refused to drive. and each time we would go out

and try to board a bus, no bus driver would drive us. callede kept in the so- white waiting room. klan started marching around the station. they called out the dogs. and apparently, the attorney general became so involved, seven days that he thought it was very dangerous for us to be in birmingham. at one point, he said, let me speak to mr. greyhound. [laughter] he wanted to know whether the greyhound company had any blockbuster ever thought that would be willing to drive us out of birmingham to montgomery. they discussed our problem with the officials of greyhound and with the officials of alabama. and they made the decision that we would leave at 830 a m on

that saturday morning. and we boarded the bus. i was the spokesperson for the group. overvate plane was flying the bus, and every 15 miles there was a patrol car. you could see the patrol car and every so often, you could see the plane. and most of the freedom riders went to sleep, because they had been up all night in a station. we arrived in downtown montgomery. the patrol car disappeared. of theas not any sign police present. and the moment we started down the steps of the bus, there was the media surrounding us. an angry mob came out of nowhere and started beating members of the press, destroying their cameras.

during those days the tv people had those big cameras on their shoulders. they destroyed them. there were destroying the photographers pads and pens, and then they turned on us. my sweet meat, the delmon from wisconsin -- the gentleman from wisconsin, the tebow of us work -- the two of us were beaten. they put a patch on my head at a hospital that the quake -- that looked like the red cross. man, i cannot think of his name right now -- the public safety director of alabama -- came with his gun and held it in the air.

there will be no killing here today. there will be no killing here today. and the mob dispersed. all the people got into a cab, but the cab driver said i cannot take you. because the montgomery in 1961, white people and black people could not ride in the same taxi cab. and one of the black young -- and one of the young black women told the cab driver to get out. she would drive. [laughter] 3 of the young cabdrivers got out and started walking away. , who was there -- >> he was like the assistant attorney general, from nashville, too. youngsaw these three ladies and he suggested to them to jump in the car and get away from the mob. they said to him, don't get

hurt, sir. this is not your business. he was trying to communicate to them. someone in the mob walked up and hit him in the head with a lead pipe. and left him bleeding and unconscious. but because of what happened in montgomery, president kennedy federalized alabama. national guard's, the state marshall, and he put the city of mcgovern under martial law. city of monterey under martial law. if not for that, a lot of people probably would have been killed that night. the church would have been bombed and burned down. seigenthaler became the

attorney general of natural, a wonderful story. people, when these conversations occurred, that are important to you? in a sense, we were maladjusted. dr. kean said weaver maladjusted. dr. king said we were maladjusted [laughter] ] to be willing to go into some of these places and get in trouble, good trouble, unnecessary trouble. there was one guy named james mississippi. in his family moved to cleveland, ohio.

that is the believe same town as marion barry. >> that is right. veryt marion barry was much in the national movement. national movement. he was very involved. many dedicated, committed young people. >> and james their fault. >> he organized the children who stayed in birmingham. and you have waves of thousands of young people who were willing to march, to face their the clubs and dogs. , it waso to birmingham so powerful. they would pick people up and

drop them. they took fark off of trees. off of trees. you go there and there's the 16th street church with a very brave young men and women. jim cla, one day this man, he took a young -- a group of young people and said, i did you want to march? he took them out on the highway and then chased them with men on horseback. us went to jail and slept on floors in selma. raises, by the way -- and by the way, we're going to come back to your questions in just a few minutes.

i think you so beautifully set up the question. i heard -- when i found out i was honored enough to be here with you tonight, this was just about the first question that occurred to me. >> i am honored to be here with you as well. >> thank you. i have two young children. i'm very glad that they're growing up in a country in which they, and their friends come out for the moment seem enormously race, about ethnicity, skin color, all of that. it does not seem to count for much. i'm glad. i considered a blessing -- consider it a blessing and i'm and others are responsible for bringing that to this country. i want them to have the

blessing of that hard earned casualness. on the other hand, what you did for this country and what others is part ofs country this heritage, too. and i want them to know. how do we teach those lessons to our children without scaring them, without introducing them to ideas that are to be banished from our midst? >> well, you just have to make it plain and simple. i spent a lot of time talking to children. they come to my offices from all over america, young children, school groups. and every year, the fifth graders from all over america --

they do not come on the same day at the same time, but they come. [laughter] and i see hundreds of thousands of students on the steps of the capital. we show photographs, very large photographs. they come to the offices. we show them a 14-minute film of what it was like growing up in the american south during the 1940's and 1950's. we try to tell the story and try to make it very simple. let them see the signs that says white and colored. in my office there is a photograph of a water fountain taken at a courthouse in georgia. it was taken in 1962. shining fountain

march "wyck." marked "white." and nearby is as big it marked 'colored." and i tell them, we broke down those things. and the only place you will see those is maybe in a book or a video. country and better we are a better people. thesometimes i tell them .tory when i was in alabama when i was only about four and a half, and i remember it like it was yesterday. i had an aunt geneva.

she did not have a manicured lawn, but a simple, plain,-yard. yard.ad and she had holes in the ceiling rate could count the stars. and when it would rain, issued a bucket and catch the rain water. and from time to time she walked out into the woods and cut branches from a dog would treat and she would make a broom and she would call that the brush broom. and she would sweep it several times a week, the yard. and sometimes special on friday or saturday because she wanted it to look good. or 15 ofnoon, about 12 theoung children went to

yard and it's unbelievable storm came up. blowing and the lightning flashing and the rain kept beating on this little shotgun house. .nd we cried and cried we thought this old house was going to blow away. one corner of the house appeared to be lifted. my aunt has walked to the corner to try to hold down with our bodies. [laughter] we never left the house. matter if we are black, white, latino, asian american, native american, we all live in the same house. we are one family. house in not just a

washington d.c., but a house in georgia. we must learn to live together. said, if we fail to learn to live together as , we willand sisters appear as fools. >> we would like to invite your questions. we have two microphones. >> i think you were right to call it a revolution. it was not a peaceful revolution. some people took the blows, and you were one of them, and i want to thank you for that. [applause] and i think of asking a question

about the maladjusted issue. [laughter] i don't think i've ever heard you or anyone else address the question of fear. way,ut yourself in harm's and we heard about that again tonight. significant harm's way. surely, as you entered the bus or inn in south carolina other places, you knew what was about to happen to you when you saw the men come up to you, or you knew what was happening when the news people were pulled off the bus and beaten and left for dead. you knew that wycherley happen surely happen to you. or on the bridge. when did fear play a role in

what you were doing? when did it tests your results? your resolved? >> i must tell you, we went through the nonviolent training, the non-violent workshops, follow the teachings of gandhi, the teaching of the great teacher, follow the teachings of studieduther king jr., the role of civil disobedience. you come to that place where you say you are not afraid and you will not let fear concord you. you.onquer you will stand up and you will speak out and sometimes you can do that without uttering a word or opening your mouth, just through action. took on non-violence

not simply as a technique, but as a way of life. and we lost all sense of fear. you threaten me with throwing me in jail, you beat me. what else can you do? dr. king himself said, it may be better to die a fiscal death -- physical death than to die a psychological depth. , youen i say maladjusted had to be maladjusted to the wrongs of evil, to the injustice around you. and maybe people call it a little crazy -- [laughter] -- the you know there's a possibility that you could be beaten, that you go down that bridge.

but you have to go on. and sometimes you have to have a session with yourself. [laughter] and just don't talk back to yourself. and going all the way to see what the end is going to be. the -- i often think, we didn't have r & r. we didn't have a va. we went to someplace, whether a doctor's office or hospital, and got a little patch year and a little patch there. and we got back on the front line. we had to do it. if we did not do it, what would happen? we were committed.

>> i have a question for john. you were succeeded by carmichael. and later in life, your ideological positions diverge. he became representative of black political power. i'm curious, some of his positions became outrageous. how do you think history will treat him in terms of his legacy? and the other question is -- i don't know how well you knew him, but what contributed to his ideological position diverging

from yours as he progressed in life? >> i first met stoically metstokely -- i first met stokely when he was a student in new york. came from a different environment. the young people that came out of the city and the end people that came out of the south were different. they took the position that if it is -- that it is not a struggle of one week, one month, when my time. there's only one strouble. uggle.oubl to members of my

to people my staff, in the movement, you have to pace yourself. you cannot be like a firecracker and just pop off. you have to be like a pilot light and burn and burn and burn. and stokely is- not here to speak for himself, but some people are not -- some people never accepted the philosophy of nonviolence. the way i grew to except the way of non-violence, the way of peace, the way of love, is try

to see every child, every baby as someone who is innocent without any problems, without any hangups. happened. is it environment? even the sheriff, even governor wallace, even those who beat us and left as bloody and .nconscious in every human being is the spark of the divine. we must respect that. at the, we arrived greyhound bus in montgomery. the police department in montgomery made a decision that they would not be there to protect us.

they wanted to give the mob and opportunity. this came out in the court hearings and everything. , to leave us bloody, to hurt us, to attempt to stop the freedom ride. many years later this past we arrived inond, montgomery and went to the first baptist church with several members of congress, republicans and democrats, members of the house and senate, staffers, all type of people. chief came to the church to speak on behalf of the city and a half of the mayor. this young man was not even born during the freedom rides in 1961.

it was it -- he was not even a dream. spoke ande up and gave an unbelievable speech. at one point, he said to me, congressman lewis, i want to apologize for what happened. on may 20, 1961. what the police department in montgomery did was wrong. i want you to forgive us. that we way of showing want to repent, he said, i want to take my badge off and give it to you. and i said, chief, you can't do that. [laughter] you are the chief. you need your badge. have my i want you to badge. he took it off and he gave it to

me. his deputies started crying. members of that ,ongregation, children congress, staffers started crying. that was the moment of reconciliation. i received a great letter from him a few days ago. i wrote him one some time ago. and will probably give it to some museum here in washington, or an alabama, atlanta, someplace. changes all over the place. the same library that would not

, ie us library cards in 1956 went back there july 6, 1989 to sign my buch. they gave me a library card. [laughter] not troy state university, but troy university a few years ago gave me an honorary degree. and i was the commencement speaker. -- you just hang in there. keep the faith. never give up and it will all work out. >> it is none of my business, but it occurs to me you should hold on to that bad a little while longer, because he will never get a speeding ticket in montgomery. [laughter] just keep at nearby. >> congressman lewis, you are one of my heroes, and president obama is one other one of my heroes. in yourlike to ask you,

heart of hearts, which you like to see the president do with the rest of his term to continue the work you started 50 years ago? >> i would love to see the president and the congress passng with the president comprehensive immigration reform, and do it and do it now. [applause] to many of our brothers and many of ourtoo brothers and sisters are living in the shadows. it is not right, not fair, and not just. for hundreds of thousands of people in many parts of our country to be living in fear, that is not the american way. do it. i would like to see more

resources spent to educate all of our children, and much less -- [applause] i'd like to see the president. and it is not the president alone. working with congress, spend more recess -- resources on saving this little piece of estate on this planet. we have a right to know what is in the food we eat. we have a right to know what is in the water we drink. what is in the air we breathe it? in the same environment, not just for those -- ourselves, but for those who come in. and we have to get people back to work and create jobs. and do what we can, the

president and those working with him, to create a world community with -- at peace with itself. don't need more missiles and guns and bombs. war is obsolete and out of tune with our foreign policy. [applause] >> let me put you in a tricky position as a follow-up. as a person who has been a student of non-violence and gandhi, drone warfare? >> let me tell you, as a member forongress, i don't worvote preparations for war. i do not support that. it would be a butcher of my conscience. if you notice, when the vote comes up, i support our troops. or younge a young man

woman in uniform, i thank them for their service. and when i see a police officer on the capitol steps -- and they all have said to me from time to time, they say, your the best member of congress. i wish there were more people like you, because i speak to them. a call them brother, sister. how're you doing? but in good conscience, i do not to violence party and to war. [applause] >> i have heard bits and pieces of your story, and i must tell you that i'm still laughing and i'm still crying.

pineve friends on the ridge reservation in south dakota to whom the poverty level is an aspiration. when they gather together, they marched behind veterans and the american flag. your story and their story coincide in that you both love this country for the idea and the process of becoming. are you worried that there are some forces among us, who shall remain nameless perhaps, who are andructing progress gathering steam? or do you think they are just a bit of a speed bump? concerned, but i think that good forces and good people have been too quiet. we need to make a little noise

and getting some good trouble. [laughter] just got to continue to push. we've got to create a coalition of conscience began. and not be fearful. the daring. the courageous. movement, where nobody is left out or left behind. 1970's, i had an opportunity during the carter administration to get out and visit some of the native american sites and spend some time. about two years ago i went and visited it in oklahoma, visited the charities. more of us need to get out there and see how other people are

living, and try to walk in their shoes. >> congressman lewis, thank you very much. i want to know that -- if during the civil-rights movement, did any of the nonviolent civil rights leaders have interaction or any type of discourse with those in the civil-rights movement who were not as patient and not as nonviolent? and if so, what kind of interactions were they? were you basically, trying to convert them over to your side, or just aware that they were there and just went were separate ways? during the late 1960's, the early 1960's, we did talk. we did try to convince, and i would not the convert, but send the way of peace, the way of

love, the way of non-violence as a better way. ,nd the nonviolent movement everybody can participate. just convene in love, peace. dr. king said in a very funny way, he said, john, what we need to do is just love the hell out of everybody. [laughter] before thethe night march in washington. the capitalin hilton hotel at 16th and k. most of the march protestant leaders stayed in that hotel, and he was in the lobby. -- participant leaders stayed in that hotel, and he was in the lobby. and he said, where ya going and getting in jail in getting arrested?

but after he did, and came back, he was a changed man. he was trying to identify with the movement. and i believe it was march 14, 1965. he came to selma and we were all in jail and the local official would not allow him to visit us. and he spoke at the brown chapel. no, it was february 14. the same church that we marched with dr. ruth it -- dr. martin luther king and coretta scott king. 17 days later, he was assassinated.