We need a thread for this:
On the morning of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial dedication, a longtime Georgia congressman and the last surviving speaker from the March on Washington said King was not only a instrumental figure in American culture—but in him, as well.
“I saw segregation. I saw racial discrimination. I tasted the bitter fruits of racism,” Rep. John Lewis said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And he made me a different person. And today I can say I don’t have any bitter feelings or have any anger or hatred (toward) human beings.”
The monument’s dedication was originally set to coincide with the anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” in August but was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.
Lewis, the youngest speaker at the famous 1963 rally on the National Mall, was a leading figure in the civil rights movement and chaired the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
“It is unbelievable that 48 years after the march, that we’re going to dedicate – that we’re going to unveil this unbelievable monument to a man who was never elected to a public office, a man of peace and of love, a man of non-violence,” Lewis told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
I can’t wait to go check out the monument. It looks very nice on television. We’ve all come a long way, baby. Maybe it’s because we share a name, but MLK Jr. was one of my first heroes, and nothing has changed. John Lewis has just as big of a place in my heart. He deserves his own place when the time comes, hopefully a long time from now.
