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[Page H3096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND WORK OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN ROBERT LEWIS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life
and work of our dear friend and colleague, Congressman John Robert
Lewis.
I appreciate the words of Congressman Al Green just a moment ago, and
I want to associate myself with his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, John Lewis came to this body in 1987. He came with
scars from a turbulent period of American history.
It was John Lewis who led the voting rights movement in the South.
We refer to it as the Selma to Montgomery march. Some refer to it as
Bloody Sunday.
Many Americans don't realize that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did
not include a provision for voting. Voting was left out of that
legislation, and because of that, the African-American community was
determined to get voting rights.
After Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he visited the
White House to have a conversation with President Lyndon Johnson. He
asked Lyndon Johnson for a Voting Rights Act. It was there that
President Johnson challenged Dr. King to go back to the South and
demand a Voting Rights Act; and, because of that, the voting rights
movement began in Selma, Alabama, and it was John Lewis who led that
movement.
Leaving Brown Chapel Church on March 7 of 1965, John Lewis led the
Selma to Montgomery march, demanding a Voting Rights Act and the right
to vote.
At the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, John Lewis and the other
foot soldiers encountered 150 State troopers and a mob waiting for
them. John Lewis instructed the marchers to get on their knees and
pray. They were beaten, and they were beaten severely.
They returned to Brown Chapel Church and, 3 weeks later, returned for
the continuation of their march. By the time they got to Montgomery,
there were 50,000 people in the march.
Because of this movement, Mr. Speaker, President Lyndon Johnson led
an extraordinary effort to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which
protects the right to vote. The VRA has enabled millions of African
Americans to register, which has enabled many of the Congressional
Black Caucus to be elected and reelected.
I might say that today is the 16th anniversary of my election to
Congress in a special election.
I had the privilege of talking with Congressman Lewis nearly every
legislative day for the past 15 years. We spent countless hours on this
floor seated to my left talking about his upbringing in Troy, Alabama,
how African Americans seeking the right to vote had to count marbles in
a jar and bubbles in a bar of soap. We talked about his first meeting
with Martin Luther King, Jr., and how Dr. King would lovingly refer to
him as John Robert.
As we would walk across the Capitol plaza and walk through airports
both in this country and other countries, never did he fail to stop and
to greet other people and to take very quick pictures. His courtesy to
our Capitol staff was unmatched, and they will tell you so.
John Lewis served in this body with courage and conviction. It is
often said that the Congressional Black Caucus is the conscience of the
Congress. Well, John Lewis was also the conscience of the Congress.
I recall, Mr. Speaker, the contentious Affordable Care Act debate in
2010. As we left the Capitol that day, there was a confrontational
gathering of the Tea Party on the steps of the Capitol. We were advised
by the Capitol Police and even by our staffs to return to our offices
through the tunnel. It was Congressman Lewis and Congressman Cleaver
and Congressman Carson and myself who defied the Capitol Police, and we
walked through that mob back to our offices. I remember that so well.
We would fuss from time to time, Mr. Speaker, and I think you may
have overheard some of our conversations from time to time. We would
fuss with John Lewis about his grueling schedule, his travels to the
West Coast on the weekends and back here to Washington on Monday. He
would tell us about how he would get to his home here in Washington and
fall asleep on the couch with his shoes on and wake up at 3 o'clock in
the morning.
When we suggested he might consider retirement, he would tell us: I
have got to keep going. I want to see the African-American museum. I
want to see the update of the Voting Rights Act. I want to see the end
of police misconduct.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, at the invitation of President Obama,
Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Congressman John Lewis, and I were invited
to the White House for a viewing of the movie ``Selma.'' After viewing
the movie, the President invited us, along with Oprah Winfrey and the
cast of the movie, to the Oval Office for a very delightful visit.
While there, President Obama said: John, do you remember you gave me a
magazine with your picture when I was first elected to the Senate?
Well, let me show you.
He took us into a hallway off of the Oval Office, and there hung the
magazine with John Lewis' picture on it.
John Robert Lewis, Mr. Speaker, now belongs to the ages. John Robert
Lewis now belongs to the ages. He helped make this world a better
place. John would say to us today, ``The struggle continues.''
____________________