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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS
______
HON. JIM COOPER
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 11, 2020
Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, it has come to my attention my full
statement honoring my late friend and colleague John Lewis, was not
included in the Record on July 22, 2020; only my brief remarks on the
House floor were recorded. I am resubmitting below my full statement
that I prepared for delivery so it may be properly reflected in the
Record:
No one loved Nashville as much as John Lewis. The self-
described `boy from Troy' Alabama arrived in Nashville on a
bus, with a ticket purchased by the Rev. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Dr. King wanted John to study at American Baptist
College, one of Nashville's four legendary HBCUs. For anyone
wondering how to honor the legacy of John Lewis, think of his
alma mater, American Baptist, or the other justly-famous
Nashville HBCU he later attended, Fisk University. If you
want more John Lewis's in our world, those were his beloved
training grounds.
John loved reminiscing about Nashville. Once, when John was
trying to integrate the Krystal restaurant on West End, the
manager panicked and locked John inside alone. The fire-
suppression system was turned on, filling the building with
gas. John could have suffocated but he somehow managed to
escape unharmed. Yet he never hated the manager whose panic
could have killed him. He understood the man's fear and tried
to ease his fear.
John loved learning non-violence from Dr. James Lawson who
led seminars, including at the Highlander Folk School, about
how to resist the overwhelming urge to fight back during
protests despite the taunts, the insults, the cigarette
burns, the physical blows, and even the broken bones. They
practiced hurting each other so they knew they were battle-
hardened. The young activists knew the danger. They made out
their wills before joining the Freedom Rides.
As congressman, John was always kind to meet with visitors,
interns and staffers from Nashville, and even individual
families, who wanted a moment with the great man, the
historic figure, the living saint. After the meeting, they
were starry-eyed, often crying from the intensity and purity
of the encounter. John also accepted as many invitations as
he could to speak in Nashville, once bringing the Faith &
Politics pilgrimage to Nashville.
John made history again with his anti-gun-violence protest
on the floor of this House in 2016. We on the Democratic side
were honored to follow his leadership, his empathy for
victims, his impatience with injustice, and his moral
courage. His friends across the aisle could not quite
comprehend his motivation or his actions, but he forgave them
anyway.
Nashville's current District Attorney, Glenn Funk,
contacted me a few months ago to ask John how he would like
his Nashville arrest records handled: expungement, apology,
or even, it sounded like, a ticker-tape parade. Much like
when I personally witnessed Montgomery's police chief
officially apologize to John for his treatment at the hands
of local authorities, I was happy that John was finally being
recognized by Nashville, the city he loved, for causing Good
Trouble, only Good Trouble, just the way his mother preferred
it, if he had to get in trouble at all. I believe that John
was called by God to get in Good Trouble and I am thankful
that he accepted that call, for the sake of us all.
____________________