>> to john-miles. president obama. speaker pelosi. madam mayor. romans 8:18 tells us, for i consider the sufferings of the present time to not be worthy of the glory which shall be revealed to us. when i met john lewis over 40 years ago, our lives intersected because in 1960, he came to my hometown, raleigh, north carolina. to form sncc at a small black college where my father, who was president of the naacp led nightly civil rights demonstrations.

again, in 1963, our lives intersected because my father returned from the march on washington. he began raving about a speaker, young john lewis who had electrified the crowd. and so imagine when i finally met him in atlanta in 1976 as a young law student, it was a transcendent moment like meeting historical figure thomas jefferson or benjamin franklin who wrote the declaration of independence but yet, here was someone who had made america live up to those noble words. along with dr. king and reverend abernathy and andy young and joseph lowery and c.t. vivian, another lion who we lost on the same day as john lewis. john had an incorruptible integrity, an ideological purity which was like a halo.

somehow this extended to everyone who was in his orbit. myself included. and that's the reason the nation has paused from pandemic and protests and politics to bid him farewell today. virtually every news organization has hailed john as a civil rights hero. but john was a women's rights hero, a gay rights hero, a senior rights hero, a workers hero, an immigrant rights hero. john wasn't on the right side of history. history was on the right side of john lewis. in his spare time, he introduced legislation to create the african-american history museum, and he fought the bigots in

congress for 15 years until he triumphed yet again against insurmountable odds. one of his proudest moments was standing at the dedication of that monumental structure four years ago. and for those who wondered if perhaps his time had passed with his body ravaged with cancer, so frail and fragile that he yielded to a cane and what he surely knew would be his last public appearance, he summoned the strength to walk to the middle of black lives plaza in washington, d.c., to express his solidarity and support for the young protesters who had begun to change america as john lewis did as a young man. they say the victors write history. so i declare today that the history of the 20th century as it is written, john lewis will stand beside gandhi and king and mandela as one of the great

transformative freedom fighters of human kind. [ applause ] and while the nation mourns a great leader, i will miss the dear, loving and loyal friend who allowed me the extraordinary privilege to walk alongside a living saint. saint lewis. in the last days of his life, when we both knew that death was imminent, i desperately wanted to tell john about how much he had meant to me and the country. but in a solemn moment, he pulled me closer and he whispered, everyone has to vote in november. it is the most important election ever.

and i promised him that with every fiber in my body, i would tell everyone, if you truly want to honor this humble hero, make sure that you vote. 1 corinthians tells us when faith, hope and love remain, the greatest of these is love. john lewis was love. good night, sweet prince, and may flights of angels carry thee to thy rest. [ applause ]

>> good afternoon. i have on two masks because i have mr. lewis' voice in my head, and he would say be particular. my name is jamila thompson. and on behalf of the staff, i would like to thank john-miles and the entire lewis family for the honor and the privilege of sharing the congressman and mrs. lewis, who was his partner in

life and in public service with generations of the staff for the last 33 years in the celebration of his life and his legacy. the congressman would want me to tell you, as i look at you today in his favorite color that you look good, you look fresh. you look clean. you look beautiful. thank you. we are honored to serve you, and we were honored to serve him. we would also like to express our sincere and our great appreciation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the majority leader, the majority whip, the clerk of the house of representatives, the office of employee assistance, the congressional black caucus and all of your amazing staff for your patience and your guidance during this very difficult time.

people always ask us, what was it like to work for congressman lewis? what was he like up close? what was he like in real life? and it is too difficult to explain so our answer was always the same. he's just as you may imagine, but better. and that no day was ever the same. what you know about the congressman is true. he was a gentleman. he was truly of the people and a peaceful soul. when he came into the office every single day he would greet every staffer, every intern with a good morning, sir, or good morning, ma'am. he would end every request, every successful speech, every successful bill, every hearing, everybody mark-up with, thank you. thank you, young brother. thank you, sister. thank you, my child or my dear. as staff, we felt it was our duty to create and maintain a space where the congressman could be completely and wholly

himself. in college, we often say that there's the freshman 15 that you gain a little bit around. well, in our off, there was the john lewis 20 because he and michael would bring him lunch and far, far too often dessert because some cake or some pie or some brownie would be calling out to them in the grocery store, and they would want everyone to come together and sit down and share a meal. we were a little family, a little enclave. a lot of drama, a lot of fun, and so much love. he broke down those work barriers, and he welcomed our parents, our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, our godchildren and our friends into the circle, making them fall equally in awe of his greatness. sometimes the world got a little

glimpse of our nest during these impromptu gatherings, and certain videos may go viral. we were like a well-oiled machine when it came to policy and case work. although we were like that in publ public, he enjoyed stirring things up in the office. you might call them a little bit of an instigator. he would get us in trouble with michael. try and corner us with questions and stir things up. and with time, you knew not to take the bait. and you would learn to say, oh, no, congressman, you're not going to get me today. and he would laugh. i think that that's what i'm going to miss the most. i'm going to miss his laugh. and not the one that you see on

televisi television, but the one where he'd be sitting back and shooting the wind and he'd throw back his head and just laugh from his heart, from his belly, from his soul. so many workers are often taught to be invisible. but with mr. lewis, he always saw you and made you feel special and worthy. dr. king and rosa parks spent time with him as a teenager, and it changed the course of his life. so i believe that he spent every waking moment paying it forward. he could be absolutely exhausted but still take one more picture, spend one more moment, especially with young people. this meant that we were always, always, always behind schedule. so the very first lesson in staffing the congressman was to learn to operate on john lewis

time which translates into late, but trusting that it would always work out. as he told everyone, he could outwalk the entire staff. and so our duty was to keep up. when it was time to move, we did. but twhen wwhen it was time to present and the congressman needed a little bit of quiet, we would try to create that space. he would slow down to appreciate and absorb the majesty of the moment for his own mental archives. just as we try to preserve the sanctity of his space, he allowed us to be our true and authentic selves, just the very best version. he found staff who were unique, and i think represented either a little bit of his personality or what he needed to complement it.

we made our ways to mr. lewis in very random paths. coincidences. some strategies others, and for believers, through divine intervention. he didn't hire based on a resume, but your energy, your being, your essence, your passion and your potential. we were a group of musicians, air traffic controllers, photographers, dancers, social workers, entertainers, artists, historians. and every once in a while, an actual lawyer or a political scientist. he got all into our business. and was there in spirit, one person for the big moments.

in the same way that he always took a call from mrs. lewis or john-miles, he let us drop everything in a family emergency and generations of children have fond memories of hanging out in his office as their parents worked nearby. he let us be ourselves, especially when it came to civic participation. he let us organize, protest, testify, and always, always, always vote. we tried to absorb his energy and his lessons. to my knowledge, three staff served him for over 20 years. ruth berg, butler and first cousin, michael collins.

[ applause ] may you please stand. and there's a whole generation of staff who are right behind them at 19, at 15, at 17, at 12, at ten years, 14 years. ruth riley, brenda jones, jerod mckinley, rochelle o'neal. and then the staffers who could never really leave like linda chastain and jacob gillison whom he kept pulling back in as friends and confidantes. although some of you and some people moved on, you couldn't really because his spirit was in you forever. his voice is always in our head.

be kind. be mindful. be particular. make it plain. make it simple. make it sing. working for him was a little bit of a nightmare sometimes. because as no matter how hard we worked, he always worked harder. every single day, he woke up at the crack of dawn, watched the news and read the newspapers. his memory was like a living encyclopedia, which means he forgot nothing and could pull something back from ten years ago because he knew it was the same staff and we were still there. he expected us to be informed with facts from primary sources, not hearsay. and when he walked into the

office, he would ask, what constituents were calling and writing about and add that information to his endless archives. you learned the hard way or the subtle way because he was not direct, but when he asked you a question, he usually knew the answer. but wanted to see whether or not you could represent him and his constituents. when preparing for a big vote or a big speech, he would drop a subtle hint. have you read this poem? this speech? a book? some scripture? do you remember this painting? and then you would say, let's come back and talk about it later on. this little head would prepare you for the aftermath of those executive sessions that he had with himself. and after those sessions, we would learn how and in which direction the spirit moved him.

and then we would have our marching orders. he would take the essence of a complicated policy and make it accessible and real to the peop people. the congressman loves serving on the ways and means committee. he always showed up. and he hated to miss votes on the floor. let me say that again. he could not stand to miss votes. the voice messages i have from him about the votes that he was about to miss are still on my phone to this day. this is the reason why we're so thankful that congressman kildee and his staff were willing to serve and to help us cast his ballots during this pandemic. and to serve as his proxy. the congressman would walk the halls or sit in committee or sit in the office, and he loved the beauty of the house of representatives. he loved its closeness to the

people and the complicated reflection of the status of our nation. every visitor to our office received a full dose of southern hospitality. the offer of a georgia coke, some peanuts, a brief tour of his office and some time on our beloved balcony with its stunning view of the u.s. capitol. while he loved his country and all its people, the record should be clear on his immense pride in representing georgia's fifth congressional district. he was so proud to represent metro atlanta and all of its cities, all of its counties and all of its people. he was on a mission to serve to make them feel heard, respected and represented, regardless of where they fell on the political spectrum. the constituents were our

compass, and congressman lewis worked around the clock to find solutions to their challenges. when it came to public service and public policy, his name did not need to be on the headlines or on the front lines. it was the action and the results that mattered. not every problem needs a bill. and he could always find compromise without compromising his values or his principles. when the challenge presented itself. he played the long game, and he knew every trick in the book, and he expected the staff to fight in a nonviolent manner for the people. when constituents were concerned about the rights of soviet jury, he took action. when faced with inequality and health services, he advanced technical changes to reduce the cost and increase services to

life-saving care, especially for the issues that affected communities of color like kidney disease and copd. when workers faced pensions issues, he found ways to give them security. when families were separated by immigration policies, he worked around the clock to reunite them. when people couldn't get their social security checks, he fought and sometimes for years to make that happen. when taxpayers were struggling with outdated bureaucracy of the irs, he worked to change the entire exchange. he fought for veterans' earned respect and earned care. when he saw an alarming increase in abusive relationships, he developed strategies to stop the cycle before it began. when some tried to eliminate the

u.s. institute of peace, he found a way and built a coalition to keep that building and the prospect and the hope of peace still alive. when he was worried about the state of our globe for generations yet unborn, he introduced the environmental justice act. when looking at the rights of marginalized communities around the world, he worked to diversify the face of our diplomacy and insert empathy and standards to our global policies. and when people complained about immovable lines to vote, he co-wrote the voter empowerment act. the list is too long to recognize his legislative and policy successes and the impact that he has on people across the nation and around the world. so i ask you, as we sit in this historic space, and as you drive through metro atlanta and you feel when you see the greatness of his legacy, historic

preservation and civic education, i ask that you hold that in your heart and your soul and your spirit. he felt that we needed to know and study our history to make sure that we never repeated it. he was both human and divine. it is so difficult to explain the magnitude, the genius, the gentle grace of this man. i would ask at this moment for the staff to take a stand, please, so that you can see and know just a sample of who we are. [ applause ] former staff.

thank you. a few years ago, we had a reunion and we realized that there aren't that many staff. we have a lot of interns and fellow staff but the congressman held us close. i don't think that there are many offices where you have the opportunity to hold your boss' hand and to adjust his tie and tell every person that you love them. he created this space. he created this family. as a staff, we are heartbroken. we are lost. but we know that the work continues. the fight remains. and we cannot, we must not get lost in the sea of despair. so if asked how you may honor the congressman, i will echo the words of the greats who stood here before. you can make sure that his work, his sacrifice, his message lives on and that there are actions

that every person can do regardless of their age or their station in life. be kind. be mindful. recognize the dignity and the worth of every human being. be the best version of yourself. be informed. stay engaged. even though the work is hard. and if you are of age and eligible for the love of god, please vote. thank you. [ applause ]

>> good afternoon, everyone. my name is sheila o'brien, and i am the sixth niece of congressman john lewis. to each distinguished guest, member of clergy, family and friends, on behalf of the lewis family, we would like to say thank you from the very depths of our hearts for the outpour of love, support, words of encouragement and prayer. the honor, the respect, the camaraderie that has been bestowed upon the lewis family will never be forgotten. we would also like to take this opportunity to give a heartfelt thanks to the chief of staff michael collins who has now

become first cousin, and to each staff member -- [ applause ] and to each staff member that has worked tirelessly with and for congressman lewis. especially during this time. words are not enough to express how grateful we are for all that you have done, especially for our cousin john-miles. i am here today to pay tribute to a man that was larger than life. to the world, he is known as the honorable congressman john lewis. but to his siblings, he is affectionately known as robert. and to his many nieces and nephews, he is known as uncle robert. so if you would permit me to just call him uncle robert right now, i would be grateful. uncle robert loved his family and we as you can tell, loved him. he was a son to our grandparents eddie lewis, who we called

granddaddy buddy and willie mae lewis. he was the husband to one wife, our aunt lillian, the father to one son, our cousin john-miles, and the brother to a lot of siblings. too many to name right now. we don't have time. while we knew how important he and his work was to the world, when we were with him, we saw uncle robert. we saw the man that enjoyed spending time with his family, reminiscing about days gone by. catching up on family dynamics. enjoying a good meal. sharing laughter and love. we, like the world, knew the john robert lewis that personified hope, courage, bravery and sheer humanitarianism. as we all know before he was chosen to congress, yes, i say chosen, because the word of god

tells me that many are call but few are chosen. his first call was to that of the civil rights movement. for the last 60 years as a nonviolent civil rights activist, he was the voice for those that couldn't speak. the feet for those that couldn't walk. and a champion of injustice for those that couldn't fight. he, along with many other civil rights icons, became the change agents that the world so desperately needed. as a member of congress, he was known as the conscience of congress. for over 30 years he stood in solidarity with the 5th congressional district of georgia. he's been recognized, revered and held to the highest esteem for the work he's done to build a better community. he broke barriers. he tore down walls. he defied stereotypes and refused to be moved from his stance on injustice, liberty and freedom. he made time for everyone and

was always picture ready. he did not miss an opportunity for a photo op or to just take a few moments to talk to his constituents or to those that revered him. his love was contagious, and it could be felt each time you were in his presence. over the last several days, listening to the numerous accomplishments, some of which he labored for years over, it is evident why his life is being celebrated at this magnitude. he truly made an impact, not just on america, but on the world. so today, we celebrate the life of congressman john lewis, our uncle robert, the man who labored, the man who talked, the man who walked, fought, knelt, sat, held hands with both blacks and whites, bled, lifted his voice, bent his knees and was willing to give up his life for

a righteous cause. let's continue this celebration of life by taking up the baton he has now laid down and endeavor to get into trouble. good trouble. necessary trouble. let's not give up. let's not give in. let's never give out. let's keep the faith. keep our eyes on the prize. rest in power, uncle robert. may your legacy live on and never die. we believe you have heard the words from my heavenly father, well done, thou good and faithful servant. well done. and i say to all of us, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. guess what? it's morning time.

[ applause ] >> a few years ago, congressman john lewis attended the inauguration of an american president. although he had seen many presidents, he made a beeline to this president and asked him to sign his program. he signed the program in this way. because of you, john, it's my esteemed honor to welcome back to the ebenezer pulpit, the 44th

president of the united states of america, barack obama. but before he comes, jennifer holliday will come once again. "take my hand, precious lord. lead me on." ♪ ♪ precious lord take my hand ♪ ♪ lead me on let me stand ♪

♪ i am tired i am weak i am lone ♪ ♪ through the storm through the night ♪ ♪ lead me on to the light ♪ ♪ take my hand

precious lord and lead me on home ♪ ♪ ♪ when my way grows drear ♪ ♪ precious lord linger near ♪ ♪ when my light when my light is almost gone ♪

♪ ♪ hear my cry hear my call ♪ ♪ hold my hand lest i fall ♪ ♪ take my hand precious lord and lead me home ♪ ♪ when the darkness appears

and the night draws near ♪ ♪ and the day has past and gone ♪ ♪ at the river at the river i stand ♪ ♪ guide my feet lord please take my hand ♪ ♪ take my hand

precious lord ♪ ♪ and lead me home ♪ oh, lord we need you right now we need you right now ♪ ♪ we've got a world that's in sorrow we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow ♪ ♪ take my hand hold my hand, lord ♪ ♪ guide my feet, lord we don't know which way to go ♪ ♪ hold us in your hold us in your unchanging hand ♪ ♪ we need you lord

we need you, lord yes, we do yes, we do ♪ ♪ take my hand precious lord and lead lord, we need you ♪ ♪ lord, we need you right now ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ [ applause ]

>> james wrote to the believes.s consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. th let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and

complete, lacking nothing. it is a great honor to be back at ebenezer baptist church in the pulpit of its greatest pastor, dr. martin luther king jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple. an american whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance. john robert lewis. to those who have spoken, to

presidents bush and clinton, madam speaker, reverend warnock, reverend king, john's family, friends, his beloved staff. mayor bottoms. i've come here today because i, like so many americans, owe a great debt to john lewis and his forceful vision of freedom. now this country is a constant work in progress. we're born with instructions. to form a more perfect union. explicit in those words is the idea that we're imperfect. that what gives each new

generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than any might have thought possible. john lewis first of the freedom riders, head of the student nonviolent coordinating committee. youngest speaker at the march on washington, leader of the march from selma to montgomery, member of congress representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years, mentor to young people, including me at the time. until his final day on this earth, he not only embraced that responsibility, but he made it his life's work.

which isn't bad for a boy from troy. john was born into modest means. that means he was poor. in the heart of the jim crow south, to parents who picked somebody else's cotton. apparently, he didn't take to farm work. on days when he was supposed to help his brothers and sisters with their labor, he'd hide under the porch and make a break for the school bus when it showed up. his mother willie mae lewis nurtured that curiosity in this shy, serious child. once you learn something, she told her son, once you get

something inside your head, no one can take it away from you. as a boy, john listened through the door after bedtime as his father's friends complained about the klan. one sunday as a teenager, he heard dr. king preach on the radio. as a college student in tennessee, he signed up for workshops on the tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience. john lewis was getting something inside his head. an idea he couldn't shake that took hold of him. that nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience were the means to change laws but also change hearts and change minds

and change nations and change the world. so he helped to organize the nashville campaign in 1960. he and other young men and women sat at a segregated lunch counter, refused to let a milk shake poured on their heads or cigarette extinguished on their backs or a foot aimed at their ribs, refuse to let that dent their dignity and their sense of purpose. and after a few months, the nashville campaign achieved the first successful desegregation of public facilities in any major city in the south.

john got a taste of jail for the first, second, third -- well, several times. but he also got a taste of victory, and it consumed him with righteous purpose. and he took the battle deeper into the south. that same year, just weeks after the supreme court ruled that segregation of interstate bus facilities was unconstitutional, john and bernard lafayette bought two tickets, climbed aboard a greyhound, sat up front and refused to move. this was months before the first official freedom rides. he was doing a test.

the trip was unsanctioned. few knew what they were up to. and at every stop through the night, apparently the angry driver stormed out of the bus and into the bus station. and john and bernard had no idea what he might come back with. or who he might come back with. nobody was there to protect them. there were no camera crews to record events. sometimes, rev, we read about this and we kind of take it for granted. or at least we act as if it was

inevitable. imagine the courage of two people malia's age, younger than my oldest daughter, on their own to challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression. john was only 20 years old. but he pushed all 20 of those years to the center of the table, betting everything, all of it that his example could challenge centuries of convention and generations of brutal violence and countless daily indignities suffered by african-americans. like john the baptist, preparing

the way, like those old testament prophets speaking truth to kings, john lewis did not hesitate. and he kept on getting on board buses and sitting at lunch counters. got his mug got his mugshot taken again and again. marched again and again on a mission to change america. spoke to a quarter million people at the march on washington when he was just 23. helped organize the freedom summer in mississippi when he was just 24. at the ripe old age of 25, john was asked to lead the march from selma to montgomery. he was warned that governor

wallace had ordered troopers to use violence, but he and jose williams and others led them across that bridge anyway. and we have all seen the film and the footage and the photographs. president clinton mentioned the trench coat, the knapsack, the apple to eat, there book to read, the toothbrush. apparently, jails weren't big on such creature comforts. and you look at those pictures. and john looks so young. and he's small in stature. looking every bit that shy, serious child that his mother had raised, and yet he's full of

purpose. god's put perseverance in him. and we know what happened to the marchers that day. their bones were cracked by billy clubs. their eyes and lungs choked with tear gas. they knelt to pray, which made their heads easier targets. and john was struck in the skull. and he thought he was going to die. surrounded by the sight of young americans gagging and bleeding and trampled. victims in their own country of state-sponsored violence. and the thing is, i imagine

initially, that day, the troopers thought they had won the battle. you can imagine -- [ applause ] -- the conversations they had afterwards. you can imagine them saying, yeah, we showed them. they figured they would turn the protesters back over the bridge. that they kept, that they preserved a system that denied the basic humanity of their fellow citizens, except this time, there were some cameras there. this time, the world saw what happened, bore witness to black americans who were asking for

nothing more than to be treated like other americans. who were not asking for special treatment, just equal treatment, promised to them a century before. and almost another century before that. and when john woke up and checked himself out of the hospital, he would make sure the world saw a movement that was in the words of scripture, hard pressed on every side but not crushed. perplexed but not in despair. persecuted but not abandoned. swept down but not destroyed.

they returned to brown chapel. a battered prophet, bandages around his head, and he said, more marchers will come now. and the people came. and the troopers parted. and the marchers reached montgomery. and their words reached the white house. and lyndon johnson, son of the south, said we shall overcome. and the voting rights act was signed into law. the life of john lewis was in so many ways exceptional. it vindicated the faith in our

founding, redeemed that faith. that most american of ideas, the idea that any of us, ordinary people without rank or wealth or title or fame, can somehow point out the imperfections of this nation and come together and challenge the status quo and decide that it is in our power to remake this country that we love until it more closely aligns with our highest ideas. what a radical idea. what a revolutionary notion, this idea that any of us ordinary people, a young kid from troy, can stand up to the

powers and principalities and say no, this isn't right. this isn't true. this isn't just. we can do better. on the battlefield of justice, americans like john, americans like reverends lowry and c.t. vivian, two other patriots we lost this year, liberated all of us. the many americans came to take for granted. america was built by people like them. america was built by john lewis. [ applause ]

he as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals. and some day when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union, whether it's years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, john lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better america. [ applause ] and yet, as exceptional as john was, here's the thing john never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do.

i mentioned in a statement the day john passed, thing about john was just how gentle and humble he was. and despite this storied, remarkable career, he treated everyone with kindness and respect because it was innate to him, this idea that any of us can do what he did if we're willing to persevere. he believed that in all of us there exists the capacity for great courage. that in all of us there is a

longing to do what is right, that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people and to extend to them their god-given rights to dignity and respect. so many of us lose that sense. it's taught out of us. we start feeling as if in fact we can't afford to extend kindness or decency to other people, that we're better off if we're above other people and looking down on them. and so often that's encouraged in our