john lewis always took john lewis always took the high road. always giving of himself in such a way that you knew that he was gracious and kind. john -- like john i grew up in rural america. went to a one-room school. never had a new school book. john had the faith of a muss starred -- mustard seed. said if you want to move a mountain. if you have faith you could move a mountain and if it wouldn't you get yourself some dynamite, some nitroglycerin, some t.n.t., and ble that sucker up. that was john lewis, may he rest n peace. >> now that he is no longer here we must live up to his example. i now yield to representative sheila jackson lee from texas. one minute. ll speakers have one minute. ms. jackson lee: we are all heart broken. we all are speechless. all are committed to john robert lewis' beloved community. ch of us have been touched without ceasing for the spirit he led us in acknowledging even beloved that there was community. he loved his wife and his family and his extended brothers and sisters all the way from alabama to georgia. i'm r

are you john lewis? and i said, dr. king, i'm john robert lewis, i gave my whole name, and he still called me the boy from troy. >> dr. king told the boy from troy, he would need his parents' permission to take on troy state. but they were afraid of the consequences and refused. as lewis returned to nashville, he was determined to do something. and then he met the second role model who would change his life. >> jim lawson came to nashville and he enrolled as a student at vanderbilt university, divinity school. >> this unbelievable young man taught us philosophy and he kept said respect the dignity and the worth of every human being, even if somebody beats you or throw you in jail, look them in the eye, and respect them. >>> lawson's group began sit-ins at lunch counters in downtown nashville in early 1960. lewis and the other students filled the counters, tried to orders food and then took whatever abuse was hurled at them. on the 20-year-old lewis arrested for the first time in february, 1960, his parents were shocked.

thank you, john lewis. president obama presented the presidential medal of freedom to john lewis in 2010. here's what president obama had to say about john lewis. [video clip] quote inscribed in a doorway in nashville where students refused to leave lunch counters years ago. it said it, if not us, then who? if not now, then when? hass a question john lewis been asking his entire life. back to theed him edmund pettus bridge in selma after he had been beaten two inchof his life -- to an of his life days before. it is why all these years later, he is known as the conscience of congress, still speaking his mind on issues of justice and inequality. generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of john lewis will come to mind. he knew the change could not wait for some other person or other time. host: let's go back to our phone lines and see what you think about the life of congressman john lewis. let's go to nadia from yonkers, new york. caller: i want to thank john

they pale in comparison to john lewis. they cannot light a candle to john lewis. he was the real deal. thank you. host: let's go to robert in washer -- in worchester, massachusetts. caller: it's pronounced was to -- worcesters. we talk about plenty sunday you have to think of john moses and john lewis. dr. king told john lewis, do not go over that bridge that day. they argued about what day they are going to march. over that marched bridge and dr. king told him do not do it. it was bloody sunday. i will never forget when i came home from church as a kid and i saw all that violence. but john lewis went across that bridge, knowing that. he was going to do what he was going to do. dr. king was not on the bridge that day, on bloody sunday. dr. king was not on that bridge. he told them children do not go over that bridge. and john lewis took them anyway. i will never forget that, bloody sunday on the bridge. you understand what i'm trying to tell you? bob moses and john lewis? great characters. but dr. king told john lewis don't go over that bridge. thank you. have a s

john lewis. a civil rights icon, responsible at a young age for lasting progress and remarkable courage in the face of violence and injustice. he was the conscience of our congress. the room quieted and people listened when he spoke. mr. thompson: it was a true honor to serve with him in the house and for me on the ways and means committee. it was surreal to walk with him over the pettus bridge in selma on the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday. and constituents thank me to this day for inviting him to my district. our great country is better because of john lewis and we should all work to be just a little more like john lewis. john, we miss you. rest in peace, my friend. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized for ne minute. >> this evening i rise to honor the life of charles evers who passed away earlier today. charles and his brother, medgar, dedicated their time on this earth to the advancement of civil rights

are you john lewis? and i said, dr. king, i am john robert lewis. i gave my whole name.ut he still called me the boy from troy. >> dr. king told the boy from troy he would need his parents' permission to take on troy state. but they were afraid of the consequences and refused. as lewis returned to nashville, he was determined to do something. and then he met the second role model who would change his life. >> jim lawson came to nashville, and he enrolled as a student at vanderbilt university divinity school. >> this unbelievable young man taught us the philosophy and the discipline of nonviolence. and he kept saying respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. even if someone beats you, throw you in jail, look them in the eye and respect them. >> lawson's group began sit-ins at lunch counters in downtown nashville in early 1960. lewis and the other students filled the counters, tried to order food and then took whatever abuse was hurled at them. when the 20-year-old lewis was arrested for the first time in february 1960, his parents were shocked. >> a lot of p

in john lewis. and he came to symbolize the student movement. >> he believed that he could help a country find its soul. >> risking death to fight for what's right. >> i did not think john would survive. >> he likes to stir things up. he likes a little drama. >> let us vote! >> john lewis is not about popularity. he's about purpose. >> never give up. never give in. >> the 17-term congressman faces a new foe. vowing to battle cancer, with the same courage he's used to fight for civil rights. his commitment through the years paved the way for a new generation. >> barack obama does not become president of the united states without a john lewis. >> john lewis led them on a mission to change america. >> our country will never, ever be the same because of what happened on this bridge. >>> when activists turned out to protest the trump administration's separation of migrant children from their parents in june 2018, congressman john lewis was there. >> i am sick and tired, sick and tired, of what happened t

that was john lewis. it's a miracle that he didn't die when angry klansman -- klansmen torched that bus carrying john lewis and other freedom riders in 1961. it's' mazing that he survived the edmund pettus bridge on bloody sunday in 1965 when the alabama state troopers nearly beat him to death. clearly there was a purpose in his life that had to be served. i had the honor to serve with congressman lewis in the house for ten years and i called him my friend for nearly 40 years. for a man who had witnessed the depths of hatred and dispair, john lewis was one of the most hopeful people i have ever met. he once said the only time he came close to giving up was after the murder of robert kennedy in 1968. martin luther king had been assassinated two months earlier. and when bobby kennedy died, it seemed for a few weeks that any hope for justice and equality had died, too. that's what john lewis said. but he didn't allow despair to overcome him. he didn't spend his life hoping for better. he spent his life makin

john lewis to you means? >> john lewis means change to me. his life, his sacrifices and all that he did was to better the world. not just our country, but the world. and i think that through his continuous fight and his seeing things, the struggle, to put his life on the line for us, i think it will make this country so much better, such a better place. and even when he couldn't fight physically, he kept fighting. the work he did throughout his life is evident here by the people who came out. me being one. i wouldn't miss this here to honor his life. the legacy. and hopefully i will pass his legacy on through my actions of trying to help others, as he did. >> reporter: real quick, talking of legacy, how do we all commit to the legacy? >> of course it's voting. but just talking, having conversations, getting to know people, look around at the crowd today, it's a very diverse crowd. instead of just blocking ourselves off into our own ideologies, getting out, meeting people but definitely voting for your convictions and the things you believe in

king, the great john lewis. democratic congressman from georgia and an icon of the several rights movement followed his friend and civil rights icon into that good night. john lewis 11 years younger than dr. king and a force unto himself and who had been the lone remaining number of the big six who spoke at the march on wug was 80 years old. he died after a battle with stage four pancreatic cancer. born to a family of sharecrop r sharecroppers john lewis became an early leader in the stunts nonviolent coordinating committee where he worked to fight for the rights of black people and organized and several lunch counter sit ins throughout the south. he played an integral role in the civil rights movement and was arrested or jailed at least 40 times throughout the 1960s often putting his very life on the line to progress the rights of black people in america. he was an original freedom writer in 1961, a speaker at the historic march on washington in 1963 and gained prominence when he and hundreds of marchers were b

president toward john lewis today. president obama, for instance, saying lewis had inspired generations. former president clinton calling him the conscience of the nation. even president george w. bush whose inauguration john lewis boycotted was able to put aside those past issues today to praise lewis from answering brutal violence with courageous hope. we know that president trump in the past had difficulty offering praise for people that criticized him in the past. john lewis had had harsh words to say about trump, trump had harsh words about john lewis in the past, that may be one of the reasons as the nation is coming together today to praise the legacy of john lewis at a moment that's an inflection point of civil rights, the president keeping his words very succinct. >> thank you. >>> still to come, more on the legacy of congressman john lewis. later in the hour, we get the perspective of someone that worked for him. first, we'll update you on the coronavirus pandemic. the latest numbers out of arizona are startl

are you john lewis, and i said dr. king, i'm john robert lewis. i gave him my whole name, but he still called me the boy from troy. >> dr. king told the boy from troy he would need his parents permission to take on troy state, but they were afraid of the consequences and refused. as lewis returned to nashville he was determined to do something. and then he met the second role model who would change his life. >> john lawson came to nashville and enrolled as a student at vanderbilt university divinity school. >> he taught us the philosophy in the discipline of nonviolence and he kept saying respect dignity and the worth of every human being. even if someone beats you, throws you in jail look them in the eye and respect them. >> lawson's group began sit-ins at lunch counters in downtown nashville in early 1960. lewis and other students filled the counters, tried to order food and took whatever abuse was hurled at them. when a 20-year-old lewis was arrested the first time in february 1960 his parents were shocked. >> a lot of people of color at that t

lewis, i've been a member of the klan.f the people that beat you, but i want to apologize. will you forgive me? his son started crying. he started crying, and i cried with them. that is the power of the way of peace, the way of love, the power of the philosophy of non-violence. >> thank you, brother. >> good to he soo you. >> he epitomizes what the nonviolent movement is all about. it's about soul force. it's the force of the human spirit. >> as a bridge between the civil rights era and a new generation, lewis found a way to share his experiences when he told his young staffers about a comic book from the movement. >> this little comic book, martin luther king jr. and the montgomery story sold for 10 cents, and people were arrested in nashville, tennessee, almost every single one of us had a copy on us. >> i started thinking that why isn't there a john lewis comic book? i had never heard the story of sncc. i had never heard the full breadth and depth of john lewis' story. why didn't tell me that i as a young person had so

lewis: mr. wilson beat me, knocked me down, left me bloody at the greyhound bus station in rockhill, south carolina, which is about 35 miles from charlotte, north carolina. brian: what was the occasion? rep. lewis: we were traveling through the south as part of the freedom riders, traveling on a greyhound bus and some on a trailway bus. back in 1961, after you left washington, d.c., black people and white people couldn't be seated together on a bus, couldn't use the same waiting room, couldn't be seated together at a lunch counter or in a restaurant, couldn't use the same restroom facilities. we were testing a decision of the united states supreme court, trying to make it real. and people, not just in south carolina, but in alabama, people beat us at the greyhound bus station in montgomery, left us bloody, and tried to bring down a church with hundreds of people in it that came to salute the freedom riders. and we were rolled on to mississippi. and in jackson, we were arrested, hundreds of us. w

congressman john lewis.ight now, we are watching for the arrival of the late congressman's casket at joint base andrews in washington, d.c. a plane carrying some of his family members, as you can see, has arrived. his family members de-planing now on the right side of your screen. they are waiting for the beloved congressman from georgia to land any moment now, after lying in state in alabama and crossing that edmund pettis bridge in selma one last time on sunday. the man who has been known as the conscious ence of congress return to the capitol one final time, where he will lie in state. in his final journey through washington, a motorcade is going to carry him through the city before ending at the capitol. a live look now at the plane carrying congressman john lewis' body. thousands will say their final fair wel farewells over the next few days, but as this year has shown, his life's work fighting for equality is far from over. i want to bring in kelly o'donnell, who is on capitol hill for us. kelly o., yo

lewis' family. we definitely mourn the loss of his life but we absolutely celebrate the life he led and lived. so just wanted to say that. but this moment, i got a call from his chief of staff or email from his chief of staff the night before. and he mentioned that mr. lewis wanted to have a personal visit to black lives matter plaza before he headed back to atlanta. and so, you know, i got that email obviously, i said, of course, i'm there. whatever you need. and the next morning we got up early. and we weren't sure if mr. lewis was going to be able to make it because he had just undergone chemotherapy the night before and was feeling a little weak but again to his strength not only physically but, you know, in his spirit, he made it. bright and early that morning and he was able to have that moment and i'm so thankful that he was able to have that moment and that i was there to capture that moment. so, you know, his family and friends, we have these images now. >> it is -- it is a beautiful image.

thank you, john lewis. president obama presented the presidential medal of freedom to john lewis in 2010. here's what president obama had to say about john lewis. [video clip] quote inscribed in a doorway in nashville where students refused to leave lunch counters years ago. it said it, if not us, then who? if not now, then when? hass a question john lewis been asking his entire life. back to theed him edmund pettus bridge in selma after he had been beaten two inchof his life -- to an of his life days before. it is why all these years later, he is known as the conscience of congress, still speaking his mind on issues of justice and inequality. generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of john lewis will come to mind. he knew the change could not wait for some other person or other time. host: let's go back to our phone lines and see what you think about the life of congressman john lewis. let's go to nadia from yonkers, new york. caller: i want to thank john

john lewis embodied that. looked at him even in private conversations without thinking about on his body, the body now brought up the capitol steps are the scars of the movement. we were able to vote because he and josea williams and others were beat on that bridge. a lot of people take that for granted. he bears that on his body. the other thing i think is that we have to give them credit for victory. john lewis comes to the capitol a victim. when he started as the boy, he couldn't vote, he had no rights to public adccommodations. he comes back saluted. they won that round of fighting with jim crow, now for those of us mentored by them and that we are mentoring to win the next battles, they have nothing to hang their head in shame about. they brought america into a new day and we have to now fight to make sure that america doesn't go back to day before yesterday. make america great again, go back to prejohn lewis. we can't let that happen. >> reverend al sharpton, thank you for your time. thank you as always

lewis and the bridge he nearly died on. >> reporter: john lewis skull was broken by white police officersn-american activists pushing for voting rights crossed the edmund pettus bridge in march 1965. >> this is sacred. this is hallow. this is where people gave some blood. i gave a little blood on this bridge. >> reporter: participants were attempting to march from selma to montgomery. 17 people were hospitalized including lewis. this could become known as bloody sunday. lewis would always show the same commitment and fight he demonstrated on the bridge that day. >> 53 years after you all marched on this bridge, why is it so important to come back and keep coming back every year. >> this is the place they gave us the voting rights act. made it possible for hundreds and thousands of millions of people to be able to participate in a democratic process. sdp y you cannot give up. you cannot give in. you will make it. >> reporter: this past march while suffering from stage four cancer, lewis as determined as ever, traveled to selma twice to mark the march's 55th anniversary and was still puship

thank you for congressman john lewis.f being a freedom fighter, his legacy of being a foot soldier for justice. the legacy of being a servant of humanity as he walked humbly with you and as he always remembered his roots and always strived so that this world could be a better place. a more equitable world, a world that is more just and more righteous. thank you for his service to humanity. thank you, lord, that he was willing to get in the way. thank you that he was willing to stir good trouble. thank you for his voice, the voice that will resonate in our hearts and minds for years and generations to come. thank you for his message. thank you, lord, for using him for such a time such as this to bridge divides and help us become a more perfect union. i pray this morning for his family. i pray, lord, that you will comfort them as only you can, that you will undergo with them your strength and grant them your grace. i pray for your peace, that's the path of all understanding and peace in their hearts in their minds to christ

john lewis' blood literally runs the soils of this great country. john lewis was beaten.n lewis lost loved ones along the way. but he never stopped being the north star. he never stopped fighting for justice. and john lewis also realized that other people take for granted. he also realized that the election of barack obama wasn't the end or culmination of justice in this country, but instead, the beginning of where we need to go. so, tonight is a tough night. however, we have so much to celebrate, don. you know, we've, unfortunately, done a few funerals together on tv. but you just know that atlanta music. you just know that atlanta whooping they're going to be doing in church down there and the sermon they're going to have when they put him to rest is going to be something i just can't wait to be a part of, as there's so much to celebrate in the life of lewis. >> gentlemen, will you stand by. i want to get to congressman andrew young who joins us by phone. congressman, thanks for joining. i want to say good evening to you, but it's not a good evening. i'll be honest. >>

john lewis was born a sharecroppers son on a cotton farm. lewis attended segregated schools. he spent his life as an activist fighting for civil rights. often speaking out about the importance of getting into, quote, good trouble. that included the lunch counter sit-ins during segregation. >> altogether it was a moving feeling within me that i was sitting there demanding a god given right and my soul became satisfied that i was right in what i was doing. at the same time there was something deep down within me moving me that i could no longer be satisfied with an evil system that i had to be maladjusted to it, and in spite of all of this, i had to keep loving the people who denied me service, who stared at me. >> lewis was arrested during the freedom rides of 1961 in mississippi for using a so-called white restroom. he was the last surviving speaker from the 1963 march on washington. >> i have the pleasure to present to this great audience young john lewis, national chairman, student nonviolent coordinating committee. john lewis. [ applause ] >> oh, let there be patience and

lewis. mr. lewis every time i'd see him, i would say good morning, mr. lewis, he'd say, good morning my brother. i would say, mr. lewis, it was good being with you. he would say, it was good being with you, my brother. i say tonight as we are here we are not saying good-bye my brother. we're saying until we meet again, my brother. what a phenomenal human being and somebody who is going to be missed forever. 80 years of being the finest example of humankind he could possibly be. mr. chairman, thank you for allowing us to speak tonight. this is truly a family in ways and means and we really do appreciate each other. thank you so much. mr. neal:: i thank the gentleman. let me recognize the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett, for two minutes. mr. doggett: thank you so much. for the past three years it's been my good fortune to sit next to john lewis on the dais of the ways and means committee. his warmth, his humility, his lack of bitterness after all he endured were truly extraordinary. his decades of service touched so many lives. with his multivolume graph

that became lewis' calling card. sharecropper's son, born in troy, alabama, 1940, back when segregation was law, jim crow the enforcer. by 1963, at the age of 23, alongside martin luther king jr., he was dubbed one of the big six leaders of the civil rights movement. >> my friends, let us not forget that we are involved in a serious social revolution. >> reporter: who helped plan the historic march on washington. and on a high bridge in selma, one of the low moments of the entire civil rights movement. there out front, john lewis. 600 peaceful protestors crossed the edmond pettus bridge. into the harsh heat of history. [ screaming ] it would be known as bloody sunday. violence unleashed by alabama state troopers. lewis, struck in the head, suffered a fractured skull. i've interviewed john lewis countless times the past 30 years. >> this spot is almost sacred. >> hmm. >> this is where martin luther king jr. stood and gave that unbelievable "i have a dream" speech. >> reporter: in one of our last, he was still impatien

let us rejoice. [ applause ] john lewis. [ continued applause ] john lewis, the boy from troy.just offer this. we praise god for john lewis, and as we gather in this house of god we're reminded that as a teenager he actually wrestled with a call to ministry. a farmer boy, he used to preach to the chickens. i guess you have to start somewhere, and at age 16 he preached what we baptists called his trial sermon in a little country church, but as his life took shape instead of preaching sermons he became one. he became a living, walking sermon about truth-telling and justice-making. the he loved america until america learned how to love him back. we celebrate john lewis. [ applause ] at a time that there is so much going on in our world, the news cycle is past and moves at a dizzying pace, yet for the last several days it is as if time stood still while the nation takes its time to remember him, and i rise simply to ask in this call to celebration what is it that has summoned us here and caused us to low down, to linger for a little while with so much swirling around us? we're summ

he was a former house colleague of lewis, said the following in part about john lewis, quote: john lewisl be remembered as a giant of the civil rights movement whose selflessness and conviction rendered our nation into a more perfect union, and his example will inspire generations of americans. while john lewis will be rightly remembered as an icon of the civil rights movement, for me he was also a colleague and a friend. even when we differed, john was always unfailingly e kind, and my family and i will never forget the privilege of crossing the edmund pettis bridge at his side on the 45th anniversary of bloody sunday. as for the late congressman and president trump, the two did not have any sort of relationship. as you know, the president tweets multiple times every day to about 83 million followers. the last time he tweeted specifically about lewis, i checked, january 17, 2017. three days before he became president of the united states. lewis boycotted the inauguration and did not show up. again, nothing directly from president trump, but the white house press secretary, kayleigh mcen

lewis. words of great. sometimes meaningful, but the most meaningful thing that you could do is to put substance to those words. you know, we learned in scripture, it's not their words but their deeds that really matter. so if you love john, want to honor john, let's do something and pass this law. this law. >> congressman, you know, most folks are familiar with what happened on edmund pettus bridge in 1965, but there are not as many people that are familiar with what happened to john lewis in rock hill, south carolina. and you've talked in the past one of a few regrets you probably have, but that being a regret, you not being able to help your friend in rock hill. for folks that aren't as familiar with that chapter in our civil rights story, bring us up to speed in what happened, and why did you regret that day. >> well, i grew up in sumter, south carolina. and when i was growing up, i was a pretty good baseball player, growing up across town from bobby richardson. we both played second base. my coach was

lewis, your final thoughts?propriate and fitting and your characterization, eric, is correct. it's almost like when i went to tiananmen square where that young person stood many years in front of tank defying the government to bring about real and lasting change. john, was a young man with old soul in some respects and thank god that he was with us for 820 years and i think more than anything else he would really want us to understand that there's a rewarded for your work here on earth and that at times even though we are driven to mourn we also have to find a way to celebrate a uniquely magnificent individual who was a part of our lives and part of generation here in the united states. eric: congressman, thank you for your thoughts, condolences for the great john lewis. arthel: eric, thank you, businesses across the country continue to navigate, the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis lawmakers on capitol hill are racing against the clock to put together another relief bill that would extend unemployme

lewis: mr.son beat me, knocked me down, left me bloody at the greyhound bus station in rockhill, south carolina, which is about 35 miles from charlotte, north carolina. brian: what was the occasion? rep. lewis: we were traveling through the south as part of the freedom riders, traveling on a greyhound bus and some on a trailway bus. back in 1961, after you left washington, d.c., black people and white people couldn't be seated together on a bus, couldn't use the same waiting room, couldn't be seated together at a lunch counter or in a restaurant, couldn't use the same restroom facilities. we were testing a decision of the united states supreme court, trying to make it real. and people, not just in south carolina, but in alabama, people beat us at the greyhound bus station in montgomery, left us bloody, and tried to bring down a church with hundreds of people in it that came to salute the freedom riders. and we were rolled on to mississippi. and in jackson, we were arrested, hundreds of us. we fi

are you john lewis?" and i said, "dr. king, i am john robert lewis. i gave him my whole name. he still called me the boy from troy. >> dr. king told the boy from troy he would need his parents' permission to take on troy state, but they were afraid of the consequences and refused. as lewis returned to nashville, he was determined to do something. and then he met the second role model who would change his life. >> tim lawson came to nashville, and he enrolled as a student at vanderbilt university divinity school. >> this unbelievable young man taught us the philosophy and the discipline of nonviolence. and he kept saying "respect the dignity and the worth of every human being, even if someone beats you, throw you in jail. look them in the eye and respect them." >> lawson's group began sit-ins at lunch counters in downtown nashville in early 1960. lewis and the other students filled the counters, tried to order food, and then took whatever abuse was hurled at them. when the 20-year-old lewis was arrested for the first time in february 1960, his parents were shocked. >> like a lo

just listen. >> thank you, john lewis! thank you, john lewis! lewis to bring us all together, and just to remind us that progress, you know, is elusive. every generation has to fight for it. >> compromise is the hallmark of america. that's how we came to be a country, and we somehow lost the ability to do that in certain issues. i think it's inspiration to go back from here to washington and say, okay, let's try again. it may take several times before we get the compromise. >> for young people who are just learning about your dad, what is the most important thing for them to take away? >> you know, i think the most important thing is to understand the concept of nonviolence. many are very, very proud of the young people in parkland, who a leading, not following and waiting for something to happen. >> this three-day civil rights pilgrimage not only crossed party lines, it crossed generations. teenagers also came on this journey. charlotte was one of them. >> how can we wrestle with our parents in a way that is respectful, so we can aid them in se

forjohn lewis, never give up, never give in. forjohn lewis, never give up, never give in.the age of 18. —— john lewis who has died at the age of 18. -- 80. tributes have been pouring in for mr lewis. among them — nancy pelosi, the democratic speaker of the house. she wrote that mr lewis "was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation" and the civil rights group the naacp tweeted that they were "deeply saddened" by the news, adding: "his life—long mission forjustice, equality and freedom left a permanent impression on our nation and world." seven years agojohn lewis delivered an address to mark the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's landmark ‘i have a dream speech' in washington. mr lewis told the bbc about that experience, and how he was inspired by dr king. when i was growing up, we would go downtown and see those signs that said, coloured waited, white men, coloured men, white women, coloured woman. we would go to the theatre and all of us black children had had to go upstairs to the balcony. and i would come home

john lewis was an

john lewis is not a black hero. john lewis is an american hero. life should be trieated as much. not just today, but moving our country forward to be better than what we are. john lewis believed in what abraham lincoln believed in the better angels of our nature. i think a day today to believe that. >> couldn't agree more. thank you, suzanne and bakari sellers for joining us this morning. >>> congressman lewis is one of three civil rights pioneers we've lost in more than 100 days. today, we remember reverend c.t. vivian and reverend joseph lowery. reverend vivian passed away yesterday as well. he was 95 years old. died in atlanta. he was part of the freedom riders, one of the early ones. at age 25, he helped lead the '65 fight for voting rights on the edmund pettus bridge in selma where he and lewis and others were attacked. reverend lowery is the dean of the civil rights movement, working with jesse jackson and dr. king in the early days of the movement. he died in march at the age of 98. for bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. j

lewis will begin his final journey to capitol hill. for more on his arrival congressman lewis was honored in his birth state of alabama over the weekend. that included one last crossing of the edmund pettus bridge, can you see it right there recruiting the route that lewis and others took on bloody sunday back in 1965 and then again later with martin luther king jr. on march for voting rights from selma to montgomery. lewis' body laid in state at the alabama state capitol as people paid respects. today there will be a ceremony in the u.s. capitol rotunda. leaders and the congressional black caucus will take part and joe biden and his wife jill will pay their respects and there's no word yet on whether president trump plans to visit. on the way today the motorcade carrying congressman lewis will pass and pause at some of this city's iconic sites, sites that hold special meaning for congressman leader, the martin luther king jr. memorial, the lincoln memorial where lewis spoke at the march on washington. he was the last living speaker fr

we will miss john lewis. he meant so much to the congress. >> congressman, tell me about, you know, congressman lewis' comfort level seemingly with anyone everywhere no matter what the circumstances. you just painted a beautiful picture there from capitol hill to the white house, out on the street to, i mean, to be part of this comic book a few years ago with these young men and then actually go to comic-con. tell me how just his adaptability and just the way he found comfort no matter where he was and engage with people of all walks. >> i'm not suggesting that he would casually and occasionally speak to people every day. it was his passion to walk up to people and introduce himself and to take pictures with them and so often, the visitors to the capitol were just in awe of the fact that john lewis came up to them and introduced himself. as we would walk through airports from time to time, and i traveled with john overseas several times. wherever we would go, he would stop and say a kind word to everyone that

so we love john lewis in my district. he's alabama native son and we are just so blessed to call him one of our own. we want to make sure that we remember his life's work because it's still left undone. john had an indominable spirit. it was infectious, his love of moe america. his love of people. the fact he stands as a living testament to the triumph of love over hate is something that's so important. i hope that all of us will rededicate ourselves to his life's work and try to restore the full protections of the voting rights act of 1965. that, to me, would be an honor and a tribute to a man and a life well lived. >> and congresswoman, how remarkable. you would grow up in selma and be witness to. i mean, seeing congressman lewis who would make his pilgrimage to selma. and then you would grow up to become a colleague working alongside him as a member of congress. representing your district. i mean, that is heavy. and that's big. so, you know, how were you able to, i guess, embrace that, you know, live up to that and wor

john lewis.he legendary lawmaker died yesterday. he was 80 years old of. he had a battle with pancreatic cancer. welcome to america's news ameris headquarters i'm eric shawn. arthel: i'm arthel neville. john lewis' life-long fight for racial equality spanned several decades. he took part of the civil rights march in selma. outrage at brutality helped spark package of the landmark voting rights act. >> in a real sense, john lewis was the most important disciple of martin luther king, junior, except that as a leader of a youth movement he took it to an even higher level. i also worked with the march on washington and saw him always willing to break barriers and, yes, to have his own head broken, if necessary. arthel: we begin our coverage with steve harrigan live in atlanta which lewis represented in congress for 33 years. steve. >> reporter: arthel, john lewis' story began in the segregated south in rural alabama. he was the third of 10 children, his parents were sharecroppers, working the fields

terry sewall, for example, representative, she wants it to be john lewis. and i think there's going to be probably some back and forth in that community. bulletly, i think that the name -- ultimately, i think the name of the bridge going to change and, hopefully, it can be changed to john lewis. he would probably not be excited about naming anything after himself. harris: representative emmanuel cleaver, you were pastor at a church when i was a young news anchor in kansas city. love to hear you preach. and now you're a leader on capitol hill and giving us so much experience and history today as we honor the legacy of congressman josh lewis. thank you -- john lewis. thank you for your time. >> good to be with you. god bless you. >> god bless you. as we watch this, a couple of things to tell you about. so this is the route to the bridge, and this is really where you will not see any other vehicles except for those escorting that caisson with john lewis. and so we have made the turn, if you will. you saw those vehicles pull out of the way, and this is relative

that tells you what kind of life john lewis lived.n and the power of his voice and the inflection and the oratory and the greatness and the faith and hope that john lewis so eloquently brings every single day. and the last thing that i recognize and i was watching my good friend and a hero of mine, congressman jim clyburn give the benediction, final words. and i think about the fact that john lewis was 80 years old. jim clyburn was 80 years old. emmett till would have been 79 on saturday. and i just think about all of the pain and the trauma that news men have seen throughout their lives. i look at all of the blood that has been shed from the edmund pettus bridge and all of the things that had to happen from the '64 and '65 voting rights act and king assassinated in april of '68 and how much men and women have been through so we have the progress that we have today. i think about mother e manual church in the moment state of south carolina and the blood that was shed. and when you see john lewis resting today, you just want him to res

we're going to miss john lewis, but john lewis will be forever in our hearts, in our mind and yes, in our souls. i believe that the sunset on john lewis' life as a movement that will never die. >> president jimmy carter posting the following, everything he did, he did in the spirit of love. all americans regardless of race or religion owe john lewis a debt of gratitude. years after year, he put his body on the line. beaten in prison 44 times and throughout that he endured all with a spirit of nonviolence, back to you. leland: a spirit of nonviolence and dedication to the cause you just discussed. steve harrigan in atlanta. we'll continue to watch there. here to discuss that, one of his colleagues, congressman hill. can you start with your thoughts and memories on this saturday? >> well, they're deep. james cliburn hit it well. he'll always be remembered in the house. he was a good friend and i was so gratified i was able to cross that bridge on the 50th anniversary in 2015, a touching moment and one i'll take the rest of my life as one of my treasured memories in politics. >> and the

john lewis.ob well done. >> that op ed that he penned is an incredible gift and it's worth reading in its entirety but i will just redo one excerpt. he writes in part, though i may not be here with you, i ask you to stand up for what you truly believe. it's a more excellent way and now it's your turn to let freedom ring. funeral services of chorus unfolding here at atlanta's historic ebenezer baptist church where congressman lewis' friend and lifelong mentor was baptized, and during the 1960s preached to this congregation. harris, back to you. >> harris: jonathan serrie, thank you very much. i want to bring in now another friend, alvina king. niece of dr. dr. martin luther king jr. and fox news contributor. we will set this up today in terms of talking about john lewis, but we can't lose the thought of the fact that i know herman cain worshiped not far from there at antioch baptist church. born in atlanta, i know some of the other children of that great city. i ask for your review and your spirit

john lewis has arrived. his final time in washington, d.c. >> chris: and just to give people a sense of the scene here, this location here on the east front of the capitol is where, after the inauguration, the old president, the former president, and the new president walked down the steps in the former president gets in a helicopter and leaves washington, goes to andrews air force base. while this is not where the inaugurations are held anymore -- they are held in the west front starting in 1981 with ronald reagan, which has that beautiful view down the national mall and off to the west to the rest of the country -- this east front, as you see there with those steps, is the ceremonial front of the capitol. the ceremonial side of the capitol. this is where the casket of john f. kennedy was taken up the steps, after his assassination in 1963. and this is where john lewis' casket will be taken up those steps, and lie in state. in fact, it will lie on the lincoln platform, the wooden platform that held the cask

with john lewis?esn't get any better than that. and i got a chance growing up as a little girl in selma, alabama, as a daughter of selma and a member of brown chapel ame church to sit in the pew to the left that my parents always sat in and witness so many amazing foot soldiers come back year after year, you know, everyone from coretta scott king to ct vivian, joseph lowrie and, of course, john lewis and so many of them are gone now. what a heavenly crew that must be up there. but john was such an amazing mentor and friend and it's not auchl you get a chance to really meet your real life american hero and i got to meet him and more importantly got to befriend him and he became such a mentor to me. i have so many wonderful memories of cohosting those pilgrimages, ten times. only john would be so willing to give and share a platform and to put a spotlight on the importance of the next generation. john was so giving. >> and that was so key. you are the first african-american woman to represent alabama in

lewis, you are one of my heroes. what inspired me more than anything as a young man was to see what you and reverend lawson and bob moses and dianne nash and others did. and he got that kind of awe, shuks, thank you very much. next time i saw him i'd been elected to the united states senate. and i told him, john, i'm here because of you. and on inauguration day in 2008/2009, um, he was one of the first people i greeted and hugged on that stand. and i told him this is your day too. he was a good and kind and gentle man. and he believed in us. even when we don't believe in ourselves. and it's fitting the last time john and i shared a public forum was on zoom. and i'm pretty sure neither he nor i set up the zoom call because we didn't know how to work it. as a virtual town hall with a gathering of young actors, who had been helping to lead this summer's demonstrations in the wake of george floyd's death. and afterward, i spoke to john privately. and he could not have been prouder to see this new generation of activists