When America lost John Lewis, who died last weekend at age 80, part of our nation’s moral compass was silenced. Many have learned of his remarkable life story: the child of poor Alabama sharecroppers who — through deep moral convictions — came to be known as the “conscience of Congress.” At age 23 he addressed the nation on live national television on the stage where Rev. Martin Luther King delivered his I Have a Dream speech that day.

Along with other “Freedom Riders” he was jailed and beaten. And he suffered a savage attack by Alabama police on a nonviolent protest for equality. But John Lewis would not be deterred. He went on to serve 33 years in Congress. For a 2007 Humankind documentary about democracy, I visited Mr. Lewis at the Capitol to record a conversation.

You can hear the full interview at our site. Let me know your thoughts on this dfreudberg@humanmedia.org.

John Lewis will lie in state at the Capitol next week. He was a decent, humble, visionary leader. We need his moral clarity and his courage now. As we mourn John Lewis’ departure we pause to honor his life.

Best wishes,

David Freudberg
Host of Humankind