Aug 18, 2014, 10:47 AM ETInterview, Fireside Chat

Congressman John Lewis & Lloyd Blankfein: Talks at GS Session Highlights

John Lewis grew up in rural Alabama (50 miles from Montgomery) as the son of sharecroppers before his family purchased 110 acres of land in 1948 using $300 in savings; the land remains in family ownership.
In childhood, Lewis learned to care for poultry and admitted to "cheating" on setting hens by marking fresh eggs with a pencil to distinguish them, later reflecting this was a moral failure of a child who wanted to be a minister.
Lewis's first act of nonviolent protest occurred at age 12 when he refused to eat or speak to his parents to protest them slaughtering a chicken for dinner.
Exposure to segregation signage (white/colored waiting rooms and restrooms) and balcony-only theater seating for Black children in Alabama sparked Lewis's early opposition to systemic inequality.
Lewis initially sought to attend a college ten miles from home but received no response to his application, leading him to seek help from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In spring break 1958, at age 18, Lewis traveled to Montgomery to meet King, becoming a student of the civil rights movement and viewing King as his primary leader and inspiration.

Lewis participated in 1961 sit-ins at Nashville lunch counters where protesters faced physical abuse, including spitting and lighted cigarettes lit on their hair.
During the 1961 Freedom Rides, over 400 activists were arrested in Mississippi after being beaten in Anniston (where a bus was fire-bombed) and Montgomery.
The physical violence on the Freedom Rides led to intervention by President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, forcing the Interstate Commerce Commission to ban racial discrimination in public transportation.
Lewis planned a more militant speech for the 1963 March on Washington, including the line "On whose side is the federal government?", but was pressured by King and other leaders to soften the rhetoric before the event.
The March on Washington attracted a crowd of 250,000 to 300,000; while Lewis spoke sixth, King delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech, which Lewis viewed as turning the Lincoln Memorial steps into a "modern-day pulpit."
Post-march, President Kennedy met the leaders at the White House, praising their work and expressing personal support for the movement.
Lewis notes that the most courageous moments often involved physical beatings without camera presence, where participants had to believe their suffering served a purpose despite the lack of immediate resonance.

In 2009, one of the white men who beat Lewis during the 1961 Freedom Ride appeared at Lewis's Washington office with his son to offer a personal apology; Lewis forgave him, noting the man felt compelled to do so before dying.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson, who leveraged his political power to overcome Senate opposition from southern segregationists.
Following the 1964 elections and King's Nobel Peace Prize, King pressured Johnson to secure a Voting Rights Act, stating, "If you want it, make me do it."
Voting registration rates remained critically low in the Deep South: in 1964, only 2.1% of Black voting-age adults were registered in Alabama, and only 16,000 of 450,000 eligible Black voters were registered in Mississippi.
In 1964, three civil rights workers (Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney) were murdered by the Klan in Mississippi after investigating the burning of a church intended for voter registration workshops.
Lewis describes the Civil Rights Movement as a "nonviolent revolution" that catalyzed subsequent movements, including the women's rights, gay rights, and workers' movements.

On March 7, 1965 ("Bloody Sunday"), Lewis led a march of 600 people from Selma to Montgomery; the group was met by Alabama State Troopers under Major John Cloud.
Troopers used nightsticks, horses, and tear gas to disperse the march, leaving Lewis with a severe concussion and a fractured skull; Lewis carried a light backpack containing books and fruit in anticipation of arrest.
Lewis observed the irony of President Johnson sending troops to Vietnam but not to Selma to protect citizens exercising their right to vote.
On March 9, 1965, over 1,000 religious leaders marched to the scene of the beating; three young ministers later died after being brutally attacked on their return trip to church.
President Johnson delivered a historic address to a joint session of Congress on March 15, 1965, utilizing the movement's anthem "We Shall Overcome" and vowing to pass voting rights legislation.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed by Congress and signed by President Johnson on August 6, 1965; Johnson gave Lewis one of the pens used for the signing, which remains framed in Lewis's home.

Lewis expressed deep sadness regarding the 2013 Supreme Court decision (Shelby County v. Holder) that struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, viewing the vote as a "sacred" and powerful nonviolent tool.
Lewis asserts that the entire political landscape of the modern era, including the presidencies of Carter, Clinton, and Obama, and his own tenure in Congress, would not have been possible without the Voting Rights Act.
Lewis argues that America has not yet achieved a "post-racial society" and that significant progress remains to be made for African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and low-income whites.
Lewis explicitly extends the fight against discrimination to include sexual orientation, stating he cannot fight racial discrimination without fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lewis concludes that while the movement has seen the "promised land" and the "mountaintop," the work is unfinished as many remain "left out and left behind."