>>> THIS IS "METROFOCUS" WITH
RAFAEL P. ROMAN, JACK FORD AND
JENNA FLANAGAN.
♪
>>"METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE
BY --
SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III,
SYLVIA A. AND SIMON B. POYTA
PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT
ANTI-SEMITISM.
THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN
GANZ COONEY FUND.
BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ,
BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE
AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION AND
BY --
JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER, JODY AND
JOHN ARNHOLD, CHERYL AND PHILIP
MILSTEIN FAMILY, JUDY AND JOSH
WESTON, AND THE DR. ROBERT C.
AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION, THE
JPB FOUNDATION.
♪
>>> GOOD EVENING.
JENNA FLANAGAN.
OUR FRONT PAGE FORECAST WILL BE
BACK TOMORROW NIGHT.
TONIGHT WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT
THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF TWO OF
THE MOST PROMINENT CIVIL RIGHTS
LEADERS IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY,
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS.
DR. KING'S DEATH SPARKED ED A
REVOLUTION TOWARD EQUALITY.
WATCH AS MAYOR de BLASIO AND HIS
WIFE REFLECTED ON HIS LIFE AND
LEGACY AS THEY LIT THE
WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK ARCH IN
HIS IMAGE ALMOST THREE YEARS
AGO.
>> THE SKIES ARE CRYING TONIGHT
BECAUSE WE MARK A VERY SOLEMN,
PAINFUL, POWERFUL OCCASION.
50 YEARS AGO THIS EVENING, IT
WAS THE LAST NIGHT OF MARTIN
LUTHER KING, JR.'S LIFE.
THAT EVENING HE GAVE A SPEECH
THAT DEFINED HIS LIFE'S JOURNEY.
I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR
BEING HERE, BECAUSE YOUR
PRESENCE IS PART OF CONTINUING
HIS DREAM.
>> LET US RISE UP TONIGHT WITH A
GREATER READINESS.
LET US STAND WITH A GREATER
DETERMINATION AND LET US MOVE ON
IN THESE POWERFUL DAYS, THESE
DAYS OF CHALLENGE TO MAKE
AMERICA WHAT IT OUGHT TO BE.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
AMERICA A BETTER NATION.
>> LAST NIGHT, NEW YORK CITY
HONORED THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S
FINAL SPEECH.
MAYOR de BLASIO WAS ON HAND TO
LIGHT THE ARCH IN WASHINGTON
SQUARE PARK AS AUDIO OF HIS
SPEECH PLAYED THROUGHOUT THE
SQUARE, ADDRESSING INJUSTICES TO
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, WHILE CALLING
FOR UNITY AND NONVIOLENT
PROTESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WHILE MUCH OF DR. KING'S
ACTIVIST WAS CONCENTRATED IN THE
SOUTH, FROM MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA,
WHERE THE HISTORICAL BUSB BOYCOT
TOOK PLACE, MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. ALSO MADE AN IMPACT ON NEW
YORK CITY.
THANKS TO A WELL-CURATED EXHIBIT
AT THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW
YORK, THAT IMPACT IS NOW
TANGIBLE THROUGH A COLLECTION OF
PHOTOGRAPHS TITLED "KING IN NEW
YORK" THAT TRACES THE CIVIL
RIGHT'S LEADER'S ENCOUNTERS WITH
THE BIG APPLE FROM THE 1950s
UNTIL HIS ASSASSINATION IN 1968.
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME THE CURATOR
OF THE EXHIBIT, SARAH SIDEMAN.
HOW DID YOU GUYS COME ACROSS
SOME OF THESE PHOTOS?
>> WE WANTED TO DO A SHOW TO
COMMEMORATE KING ON THE 50th
ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH.
WE HAD A HUNCH THAT HE HAD A
CLOSE RELATIONSHIP TO NEW YORK,
THAT HE WAS HERE A LOT.
AND THEN WE STARTED DIGGING IN A
LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES, A LOT
OF PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS, PRIVATE
COLLECTIONS, AS WELL AS OUR OWN
COLLECTION AT THE MUSEUM.
YOU KNOW, WHAT WE FOUND WAS HE
WAS HERE A LOT, AND HE DID --
HIS PRESENCE IN NEW YORK REALLY
PROVIDES AN INTERESTING LENS
THROUGH WHICH WE CAN VIEW HIM IN
A KIND OF BROADER WAY.
HIS CIVIL RIGHTS WORK, OF
COURSE, BUT HOW HE RELATED IT TO
GLOBAL ISSUES.
HE SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE VIETNAM
WAR ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN NEW
YORK CITY, REALLY USED THE CITY
AS A STAGE TO DO SO, TALKED TO
LABOR UNIONS HERE.
SO WE BEGIN THE SHOW WITH A
SERMON HE GAVE AT ST. JOHN THE
DIVINE IN 1956 DURING THE
MONTGOMERY BUSBOY COT WHEN HE
WAS JUST BECOMING A NATIONAL
FIGURE AND HE SPOKE TO 12,000
PEOPLE THERE AND SORT OF JUST
TAKE IT FROM THERE, HOW NEW YORK
PROVIDES GREAT MEDIA
OPPORTUNITIES FOR KING AND AS
THE KIND OF GATEWAY TO THE WORLD
AND PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR HIM
TO SPEAK ABOUT A RANGE OF
ISSUES, BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL.
>> I THINK THAT DOES SPEAK TO
THE WAY THAT WE'RE SORT OF
RELOOKING AT HIS LEGACY, BECAUSE
THERE WAS A LOT OF UNION WORK
AND THINGS THAT WORKED IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK AS HISTORIANS HAVE DONE
JUST AMAZING WRITING AND
RESEARCH IN THE LAST 10-20 YEARS
ABOUT THE BLACK FREEDOM STRUGGLE
AND WORK THAT HAS SHAPED ME AS A
HISTORIAN AND A CURATOR, I
WANTED TO REPRESENT THAT IN
VISUAL FORM, HOW THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT HAD A GLOBAL
SCOPE AND HOW KING DENOUNCED NOT
JUST RACISM BUT MILITARISM AND
MATERIALISM AND TO REFLECT SO
MUCH OF THAT IMPORTANT WORK THAT
HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE IN THE
LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
>> HOW BIG IS THIS EXHIBIT THAT
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT?
THIS ISN'T JUST A FEW
PHOTOGRAPHS, CORRECT?
>> NO.
IT'S OVER 40 PHOTOGRAPHS.
WE KIND OF PACKED THEM IN.
IT STARTS IN 1956 AT ST. JOHN
THE DIVINE.
HE SPOKE AT CARNEGIE HALL IN
FEBRUARY 1968 TO COMMEMORATE THE
BIRTHDAY OF AN ACTIVIST.
IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING
SPEECH.
AND THEN WE GO BEYOND HIS DEATH
ON APRIL 4th, 1968 AND LOOK AT
THE RECEPTION OF HIS MURDER IN
NEW YORK CITY AND HOW NEW
YORKERS GRIEVED, BUT ALSO CAME
TOGETHER TO PROTEST AND
COMMEMORATE HIM.
>> FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE, YOU
KNOW, STUDENTS OF DR. KING BUT
MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO THIS
EXHIBIT, WILL THERE BE A WAY TO
SEE THIS PERHAPS ONLINE OR IF
YOU COME TO THE CITY AT SOME
LATER POINT?
>> RIGHT NOW IT'S ONLY ON THE
WALLS OF THE MUSEUM, SO WE'LL
HAVE TO BRING EVERYONE IN THAT
WE CAN.
I DO THINK THERE HASN'T BEEN
OTHER EXHIBITIONS ON THIS TOPIC,
SO I THINK IT HAS BEEN REALLY
EXCITING TO BRING TOGETHER THESE
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM REALLY
DISPARATE SOURCES.
IT WOULD BE AMAZING FOR THEM TO
LIVE ON TOGETHER.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ESPECIALLY IF IT ADDS TO WHAT WE
UNDERSTAND OF AN INCREDIBLY
GREAT AND COMPLEX MAN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
ON THE PROGRAM AND ESPECIALLY
THANK YOU FOR THIS EXHIBIT OF
KING IN NEW YORK.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
♪
>>> WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS."MET"
I AM JACK FORD.
WHEN CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS
PASSED AWAY, THE NATION LOST AN
ICON OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT, A MAN WHO ACCORDING TO
MANY, INCLUDING BOTH SIDES OF
THE POLITICAL AISLE, WAS ALSO
VIEWED AS THE CONSCIENCE OF THE
CONGRESS.
MANY OF US RECALL VIVIDLY THOSE
STRIKING, STARTLING AND
FRIGHTENING PHOTOGRAPHS AND
VIDEOS OF JOHN LEWIS BEING
BEATEN ON THE EDMOND PET TIS
BRIDGE IN ALABAMA.
WE ALSO REMEMBER THE PHOTOS OF A
YOUNG JOHN LEWIS STANDING WITH
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND OTHER
LUMINARIES.
WHAT DO WE KNOW OF HIM, WHERE HE
CAME FROM, LITERALLY AND
FIGURATIVELY, HOW HIS BELIEFS
WERE FORMED?
AND IN HIS LAST DAYS, WHAT DID
HE BELIEVE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF
THAT MOVEMENT THAT HE HAD
CHAMPIONED BEGINNING MORE THAN A
HALF CENTURY AGO?
IN A NEW BOOK JON MEACHAM DEVILS
INTO JOHN LEWIS'S LIFE, TAKES US
ON HIS JOURNEY.
THE BOOK IS TITLED "HIS TRUTH IS
MARCHING ON, JOHN LEWIS AND THE
POWER OF HOPE."
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE JON
MEACHAM JOINING US NOW TO TALK
ABOUT THE BOOK.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> THANKS, JACK.
APPRECIATE IT.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR
DECISION TO WRITE ABOUT JOHN
LEWIS, A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
PULITZER PRIZE FOR YOU BOOK ON
ANDREW JACKSON.
YOU WROTE ABOUT THE UNIQUE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRANK LIVE
ROOSEVELT AND WINSTON CHURCHILL.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DELVE INTO
JOHN LEWIS'S LIFE?
>> BECAUSE HE'S A BETTER
CHRISTIAN AND AMERICAN THAT I AM
IN ANY DANGER OF BECOMING.
>> WE COULD PROBABLY SAY THAT
ABOUT ALL OF US OR MOST OF US.
WE TRY.
AND THAT'S THE POINT, RIGHT?
I MET JOHN 28 YEARS AGO, THIS
NOVEMBER.
I REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE I WAS.
I KEPT MY NOTES FROM IT.
I WAS A BABY REPORTER FOR THE
CHATTANOOGA TIMES.
ON I ELECTION NIGHTS THE CURREN
OF POWER IS NOT TO BE SEEN
BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE
OFF IN A ROOM CALCULATING VOTES
OR SOMETHING.
I WALKED INTO A RUNOFF
CELEBRATION DOWN IN ATLANTA,
THERE WAS JOHN LEWIS AND LILLIAN
LEWIS JUST TALKING TO THE
PEOPLE, NO PRETENSE, NO STAFF,
NO MAJESTY.
THEY WERE OF US.
AND I ASKED HIM ABOUT THE
MOVEMENT AND HOW IT'S GOTTEN
MORE COMPLICATED SINCE THE JIM
CROW SIGNS CAME DOWN.
AS HE DID WITH THOUSANDS UPON
THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF
OTHER PEOPLE, HE COMMUNICATED A
QUIET PERSISTENT, REALLY
TRANSFORMATIVE CHARISMA.
I USE THAT WORD ADVISEDLY,
CHARISMA, GIFT OF THE GODS.
AND THERE WAS A MORAL FORCE THAT
WAS NOT A REBUKE, BUT WAS AN
ENCOURAGEMENT.
YOU WANTED TO BE A BETTER
PERSON, BECAUSE YOU WERE WITH
HIM.
AND I ALWAYS KNEW I'D WRITE
ABOUT HIM AT SOME POINT.
WHEN HE GOT THE CANCER DIAGNOSIS
LAST YEAR, I STARTED WORKING ON
IT A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN I WAS STANDING ON THE
PET TIS BRIDGE IN MARCH WITH MY
FAMILY AND ABOUT 1,000 OTHER
PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE, PART OF
THAT ANNUAL TRIP HE DID.
I JUST REALIZED THIS WAS THE
MOMENT, BECAUSE THE THING
AMERICA NEEDS NOW MORE THAN EVER
IS THE SPIRIT AND SUBSTANCE OF
JOHN LEWIS.
>> WHAT DID HE THINK ABOUT YOU
WRITING THIS?
YOU MENTIONED THAT ABSENCE OF
PRETENSE.
CERTAINLY HE WAS MARKED BY AN
ABSENCE OF PRETENSE, AN ABSENCE
OF A SENSE OF SELF-MAJESTY.
WHAT DID HE SAY WHEN YOU SAID TO
HIM, I WANT TO DO THIS BOOK
ABOUT YOU?
>> IT'S A TRICKY QUESTION FOR ME
TO ANSWER.
FORGIVE ME.
I THINK HE WAS PLEASED.
I MADE THE CLEAR POINT THAT I
WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT HIM IN A
WAY, THAT IT WASN'T A FULL
BIOGRAPHY.
THIS IS WHY HE WAS IN THE
STREETS AND WHAT HE MEANT AND
WHAT THAT CAN MEAN FOR US.
SO I TOLD HIM I WAS GOING TO DO
IT.
HE WAS TERRIFIC.
WE SPENT, BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC AND BECAUSE OF THE
CANCER, WE SPENT MOST OF THAT
TIME ON THE PHONE, REALLY
STARTING IN MARCH.
AND I TALKED TO HIM UNTIL FAIRLY
LATE.
I MEAN, IT WAS MID JUNE, I
THINK, WHEN WE HAD OUR LAST
CONVERSATION.
HE READ IT, HE READ THE BOOK, HE
READ WHAT I SENT.
AND THAT PLEASED ME ENORMOUSLY.
IT'S HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT IN
THE FIRST PERSON, SO FORGIVE ME
FOR MY STUMBLING AROUND A LITTLE
BIT, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T TALK IN
THE FIRST PERSON.
BUT WHAT I DO THINK WAS PROBABLY
IN HIS MIND AND HEART, TO SOME
EXTENT, IS HE BELIEVED IN THE
POWER OF STORY, RIGHT?
HE HAD GONE INTO THE MOVEMENT
BECAUSE OF HIS INNATE REVULSION
TO THE SEGREGATED ORDER HE GREW
UP WITH IN TROY, BUT ALSO
BECAUSE HE HAD READ THE STORIES
OF PEOPLE WHO WERE TRYING TO
CHANGE IT.
SO WHETHER IT WAS HEARING DR.
KING ON THE RADIO, READING ABOUT
DR. KING IN HIS GRANDFATHER'S
NEWSPAPER, READING ABOUT THE
BUS BOYCOTT IN A COMIC BOOK
CALLED "THE MONTGOMERY STORY"
PUT OUT BY THE FELLOWSHIP FOR
RECONCILIATION.
READING ABOUT EMITT TILL AND
THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS.
HE UNDERSTOOD STORY, HE
UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT
TO TELL THIS STORY AGAIN AND
AGAIN.
>> AS YOU KNOW, AS A HISTORIAN,
IT'S THOSE WHO CAN TELL THE
STORY THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND
IT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIS ABILITY TO
TELL THE STORY, I WAS STRUCK A
LITTLE BIT BY SOME OF HIS
DEVELOPMENT AS A VERY YOUNG MAN.
THERE'S TALK ABOUT HOW HE WAS
LEARNING TO PREACH WHEN HE WAS A
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
>> WELL, HE PREACHED TO THE
CHICKENS.
THERE ARE TWO GREAT STORIES OUT
OF THAT.
HE TOOK CARE OF THE FAMILY'S
CHICKENS.
HE WOULD MARRY THEM AND BAPTIZE
THEM.
THE FAMILY TOOK A CHICKEN TO
HAVE FOR DINNER AND HE REFUSED
TO EAT IT.
THE SECOND WAS HIS COLLEAGUES IN
CONGRESS LISTENED TO HIM ABOUT
AS CLOSELY AS THE CHICKENS DID.
BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT IT IS
THAT THE GOSPEL MEANT SOMETHING
TO HIM FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
HE HAD A GREAT POINT.
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS AT ALL, BUT
FOLKS ONLY WENT TO CHURCH TWICE
A MONTH IN RURAL ALABAMA IN
THOSE YEARS.
THIS IS THE '40s AND '50s,
BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH AN ORDEAL.
IT WAS HARD TO GET THERE.
IT WAS HARD TO RECOVER FROM THE
WEEK, SO THEY COULD ONLY DO IT
ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS.
BUT WHEN HE WAS THERE, IN THE
SAME WAY HE KIND OF REVOLTED
AGAINST THE WHITE ONLY, COLORED
ONLY SIGNS HE SAW IN TROY, HE
DIDN'T LIKE MINISTERS WHO
PREACHED ABOUT A FUTURE REWARD.
HE WAS VERY FOCUSED ON HOW DO WE
BRING THE KINGDOM TO BE NOW.
AND THAT WAS AN INTUITIVE THING.
AND SO HE HAD THIS RELIGIOUS
IMPULSE, HE HAD THIS RELIGIOUS
ORIENTATION, PREACHED HIS FIRST
SERMON TO PEOPLE, AS OPPOSED TO
CHICKENS, WHEN HE WAS 16 YEARS
OLD.
WHEN HE WAS 17 HE GOES OFF TO
AMERICAN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY, ABOUT TEN MILES FROM
WHERE I'M SITTING.
IT'S CALLED THE HOLY HILL, THREE
LITTLE BRICK BUILDINGS LOOKS OUT
OTHER SEGREGATED NASHVILLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT UNFOLDED
IN THIS -- AND HE WAS A LITTLE
EMBARRASSED BY THIS, BUT I
INSIST ON IT -- THERE'S A LOT OF
THE BIBLICAL IN LEWIS'S STORY.
HE GOES TO A HILL, HE GOES TO A
MOUNTAIN TO RECEIVE A
COMMISSION.
HE WAS CALLED ROBERT OR BOBBY
HIS FAMILY UNTIL HE WAS IN
COLLEGE HERE IN NASHVILLE AND HE
BECAME JOHN.
HE'S JOHN ROBERT LEWIS.
ABRAHAM ELIJAH, PETER ALL
RECEIVED DIFFERENT NAMES WHEN
DIFFERENT WORK WAS MADE
AVAILABLE TO THEM.
EVENTUALLY, HE WENT INTO A KIND
OF EXILE AFTER STOKELEY CAR
MICHAEL DEFEATED HIM IN 1966.
HE SPENT TWO YEARS IN NEW YORK
REALLY PRETTY MUCH ALONE,
THINKING ABOUT THINGS AND
REALIZING THAT POLITICS AND
PUBLIC LIFE WOULD BE THE NEXT
ARENA FOR HIM.
SO AGAIN AND AGAIN, THERE'S A
BIBLICAL THEME IN HIS LIFE.
AND THAT MAY SOUND SENTIMENTAL
TO FOLKS.
IT MAY SOUND LIKE WE'RE TRYING
TO MAKE HIM INTO SOMETHING HE'S
NOT.
YOU CAN WRITE HAGIOGRAPHY IF THE
PERSON IS HAGIOS.
>> I'M ALWAYS CURIOUS ABOUT HOW
AUTHORS START THEIR WORKS.
IN THIS, YOU START WITH HIM AT
THE PET TIS BRIDGE IN 2020.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE THAT WOULD BE
THE JUMPING OFF POINT FOR THE
STORY?
>> PASRTLY BECAUSE I KNEW IT
WOULD BE THE LAST MARCH AND
PARTLPART
LY BECAUSE OF WHAT HE SAID.
HE'D LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.
HE WAS BACK TO ALMOST HIS
COLLEGE WEIGHT AT THE END.
YOU SAW THAT IN THE PICTURE AT
BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA.
SO HE LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT
BECAUSE OF CANCER.
AND THIS WAS TRUE EVEN WHEN HE
WAS KIND OF CHURCH SUPPERED UP.
HIS WIFE USED TO SAY HE'S BEEN
TO TOO MANY CHURCH BANQUETS.
HE WAS SMALL.
AS BARACK OBAMA SAID, HE WAS A
LITTLE GUY.
BUT HE TOOK THE MICROPHONE
STANDING NEXT TO NANCY PELOSI
AND JIM LAWSON, AND SUDDENLY HE
BECAME JOHN LEWIS IN THIS DEEP
AND THUNDEROUS VOICE, THE VOICE
WE HEARD AT THE MARCH ON
WASHINGTON, THE ANNIVERSARY OF
WHICH IS COMING UP AT THE END OF
THE WEEK.
HE SHOUTED.
AND AGAIN, BIBLICAL, SHOUTS IN
THE BIBLE OFTEN SIGNIFY DIVINE
INTERVENTION, A MIRACULOUS
ACTION.
IT WASN'T ANYTHING HE HADN'T
SAID BEFORE, BUT IT WAS THE LAST
TIME HE WAS GOING TO SAY IT.
SAID THERE'S SOME OF US WHO SHED
A LITTLE BLOOD ON THIS BRIDGE TO
TRY TO REDEEM THE SOUL OF
AMERICA AND KEEP THE FAITH, KEEP
THE FAITH.
YOU ALL LOOK SO GOOD.
AND HE'S DOING IT IN THIS VOICE.
AND YOU KNOW THAT IT'S TAKING
EVERYTHING IN HIM, BECAUSE THESE
ARE HIS PEOPLE.
THESE ARE THE PILGRIMS WHO HAVE
COME NOT JUST TO HONOR HIM, BUT
TO HONOR THE I ENUMERABLE PEOPL
WHO MADE THE MOVEMENT POSSIBLE.
SO WATCHING HIM ON THAT BRIDGE
FOR WHAT WOULD BE THE LAST TIME,
SECOND-TO-LAST TIME, BECAUSE
THEY TOOK HIM OVER, OF COURSE IN
THE CORTEGE.
IT SEEMED TO ME TO BE NOT A
CULMINATION, RIGHT, BECAUSE THE
WORK IS NOT DONE, BUT IT WAS A
POETIC MOMENT OF A LION OF
AMERICAN LIFE IN THE PART OF THE
COUNTRY, THE PLACE IN THE
COUNTRY THAT, IF WE CAN TRY TO
RECOVER AGAIN THE SPIRIT AND
SUBSTANCE OF THAT, PARTICULARLY
GIVEN WHAT WE FACE IN THIS
ELECTION, WE'LL BE BETTER OFF.
>> ONCE AGAIN, I'M TALKING WITH
JON MEACHAM, PULITZER PRIZE
WINNING AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN
ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK TITLED "HIS
TRUTH IS MARCHING ON, JOHN LEWIS
AND THE POWER OF HOPE."
YOU TALK ABOUT THE IDEA OF BEING
JOHN LEWIS IN THE BOOK.
DID HE EVER TIRE OF THE BURDEN,
DO YOU THINK, OF BEING JOHN
LEWIS AND WHAT THAT MEANT AND
HOW HE HAD TO BE CONSTANTLY
BECAUSE OF THAT?
>> THAT'S A TERRIFIC QUESTION.
I THINK NOT BUT BECAUSE OF THIS,
HE KNEW NO OTHER WAY TO BE,
RIGHT.
HA
HE WAS A KIND OF LIVING MON
MONUMENT.
WHEREVER JOHN WENT, THE
MEMOMEMORIES
OF THE MOVEMENT WERE WITH THEM.
I DO THINK THERE WAS A TENSION
IN THIS SENSE.
I DO THINK HE BELIEVED IN
LOOKING BACK, BUT HE WANTED TO
LOOK BACK FOR A VERY PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
IT WAS A UTILITARIAN VIEW OF
HISTORIAN.
IT WASN'T TO LOOK BACK AND SAY,
WE'RE ALL GREAT, GIVE ME AN
AWARD.
IT WAS TO LOOK BACK AND SAY I'M
A SHARECROPPERS SON FROM ALABAMA
AND -- HE WOULD NEVER PUT IT
THIS WAY -- WE CHANGED A
COUNTRY.
THAT MEANS THAT ANYONE COULD
CHANGE A COUNTRY.
I DON'T THINK HE BELIEVED THAT.
I THINK HE AND THAT GROUP OF
FOLKS WERE INCREDIBLY UNIQUE.
BUT I DO THINK THE SPIRIT IS
THERE.
WHEN PEOPLE SAY, OH, THINGS
HAVEN'T CHANGED ENOUGH, HE WOULD
SAY IN THAT SHOUT, COME WALK IN
MY SHOES, COME TELL ME THINGS
HAVEN'T CHANGED.
AND I THINK THAT THE BURDEN OF
BEING JOHN LEWIS WAS ONE THAT HE
TOOK UP REALLY WHEN HE WAS 17
YEARS OLD.
REMEMBER HOW YOUNG HE WAS.
I FOCUS THIS ON THE MOVEMENT
BECAUSE IT'S THE CLEAREST
EXAMPLE OF WHERE THAT FAITH IN
ACTION WAS.
HE WAS 17 YEARS OLD WHEN HE CAME
TO NASHVILLE.
HE WAS 18 YEARS OLD WHEN HE
STARTED WORKING ON THE SIT-INS
AND WAS UNDER TUTELAGE OF JAMES
LAWSON.
HE WAS BARELY 21 WHEN HE GETS ON
THE BUS FOR THE FREEDOM RIDES.
WHEN HE GOES TO PARCHMENT, WHICH
HE DESCRIBES AS DESTINATION
DOOM.
AND HE'S 25 WHEN HE'S ON THE PET
US BRIDGE.
SO A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD
THEM, PERHAPS?
>> AND PERHAPS IT WAS HIM.
OVER YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER WE CAN
SEE PART OF A PORTRAIT.
IT'S A PORTRAIT OF JOHN LEWIS.
BELOW THAT ALSO A PORTRAIT OF
PRESIDENT GEORGE HERBERT WALKER
BUSH.
I WAS STRUCK BY WHAT YOU TOLD ME
BEFOREHAND, WHERE THAT PORTRAIT
OF JOHN LEWIS IS NOW GOING TO
BE.
>> MY FRIEND MICHAEL SHANE NEIL,
A GREAT PORTRAITIST REALLY IN
THE BEGINNING OF THE GREATEST OF
HIS CAREER, PAINTED CONGRESSMAN
LEWIS.
THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
HAS ACQUIRED THAT.
THE OTHER THING I'M HONORED TO
HAVE IS A PORTRAIT OF GEORGE
H.W. BUSH 41 PAINTED BY HIS SON
GEORGE W. BUSH.
IF I MAY, PART OF WHAT MAKES THE
COUNTRY GOOD WHEN WE ARE GOOD IS
THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE ALL
THE TIME, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO
BE PERFECT.
WE'RE ALL SINFUL, WE'RE ALL
FALLEN, WE'RE ALL FRAIL, WE'RE
ALL FALLIBLE.
BUT 51% OF THE TIME OR SO, CAN
WE MAYBE LET OUR BETTER ANGELS
WIN OUT OF OUR WORST INSTINCTS?
IF WE CAN DO THAT 50% OF THE
TIME, WE'RE GOING TO BE CLOSER
TO THAT BELOVED COMMUNITY JOHN
LEWIS TALKED ABOUT.
>> THE TITLE OF ANOTHER ONE OF
YOUR MARVELOUS BOOKS CALLED "THE
SOUL OF AMERICA, THE BATTLE FOR
OUR BETTER ANGELS."
I HAVE ABOUT 3 MINUTES LEFT, BUT
I DO WANT TO BRING UP THE IDEA
OF YOUR APPEARING AT THE
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
AND GIVING A MESSAGE.
I TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE
HISTORICAL FIGURES THAT YOU'VE
WRITTEN ABOUT.
ALSO SHOULD MENTION THAT YOU
HAVE SAID IN THE PAST YOU'RE NOT
A REPUBLICAN, YOU'RE NOT A
DEMOCRAT.
YOU HAVE VOTED FOR MEMBERS OF
BOTH PARTIES AND YOU HAVE
ASSIDUOUSLY REMOVED YOURSELF
FROM PARTISAN POLITICS, YET YOU
DECIDED TO MAKE THIS APPEARANCE.
WHY?
>> BECAUSE THE CHOICE HAS NEVER
BEEN CLEARER.
I WAS BORN FOUR YEARS AFTER THE
PET US BRIDGE.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT SIDE I
WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE I HAD
BEEN BORN EARLIER.
I'D LIKE TO THINK AS A WHITE
MALE SOUTHERN EPISCOPALIAN, I
WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE RIGHT
SIDE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT.
I DO KNOW WHAT SIDE WE HAVE TO
CHOOSE NOW.
AND AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT I DID
IN THIS MOMENT.
IT WAS NOT AN EMBRACE OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, BUT IT WAS A
VOTE FOR -- AND I'VE OFFERED
WHAT HELP MY VOICE CAN BE -- TO
JOE BIDEN, WHOM I BELIEVE IS A
GOOD AND DECENT MAN, IMPERFECT,
BUT HISTORY DOESN'T ALWAYS GIVE
US AN INFLECTION POINT LIKE
THIS.
AND I THINK FOUR MORE YEARS OF
THE INCUMBENT ADMINISTRATION
COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.
SO WHATEVER UTILITY THERE IS FOR
SOMEONE WHO THINKS HISTORICALLY,
THINKS THEOLOGICALLY, I CAN TELL
YOU AS A MATTER OF DISCERNIBLE
FACT THAT JOE BIDEN WOULD BE A
VASTLY BETTER PRESIDENT FOR
AMERICA THAN THE ALTERNATIVE.
AND I WAS ASKED TO SAY THAT AND
I BELIEVE IT AND I CALL THEM AS
I SEE THEM.
I MAY NOT ALWAYS CALL THEM
RIGHT, BUT I CALL THEM AS I SEE
THEM.
♪
>>"METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE
BY --
SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III,
SYLVIA A. AND SIMON B. POYTA
PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT
ANTI-SEMITISM.
THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN
GANZ COONEY FUND.
BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ,
BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE
AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION AND
BY --
JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER, JODY AND
JOHN ARNHOLD, CHERYL AND PHILIP
MILSTEIN FAMILY, JUDY AND JOSH
WESTON, AND THE DR. ROBERT C.
AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION, THE
JPB FOUNDATION.
♪
