Skip to content

Civil Rights hero John Lewis “never thought — never dreamed” of an African American president

Civil Rights icon and Congressman Rep. John Lewis will be honored at the Alliance for a Better Georgia’s Third Annual Comedy Roast and presented the Progressive Courage Award on August 31. As we prepare for the big event, we’re looking back on the incredible impact Lewis has left on American history and Georgia politics.

When Barack Obama was sworn in as president in 2008, Civil Rights hero Rep. John Lewis was moved as he joined the new president at his inauguration.

“When we were organizing voter-registration drives, going on the Freedom Rides, sitting in, coming here to Washington for the first time, getting arrested, going to jail, being beaten, I never thought — I never dreamed — of the possibility that an African American would one day be elected President of the United States,” Lewis told Time.

The final tweet from the White House of President Barack Obama was a testament to how Obama felt the administration and country had progressed over the years:

“Yes we can.
Yes we did.
Thank you for being a part of the past eight years.”

The tweet was posted with an image of President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama marching hand in hand with Congressman John Lewis.

Lewis said a heartfelt goodbye the Obamas, but Trump would not receive a warm welcome.

“I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,” he said, and refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Lewis sparked a boycott of Trump’s inauguration and became one of the most prominent faces in the Trump resistance — more than 60 House Democrats announced they would not be attending.

Trump responded bitterly with a series of controversial tweets, calling the 5th District of Atlanta, Lewis’s district, “falling apart” and “crime-infested.” Trump also accused the Civil Rights hero, who has been arrested over 45 times and beaten during his activism in the movement, of being “all talk, talk, talk.”

Trump tweeted this on the holiday weekend honoring Lewis’s late colleague and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Support quickly swelled for Lewis — tweets from Democratic officials, advocacy groups and supporters across the country came rushing in, each one standing up for the icon and highlighting his work in the Civil Rights movement.

Despite the Twitter attacks, Lewis hasn’t stopped standing up to Trump on the issues that affect our country and our state. He paved the way to many liberties and freedoms for the African-American community, and he will not let another obstacle, particularly one as incompetent as Trump, stand in his way.

At the luncheon following Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, Lewis approached the new president with a commemorative photograph and asked him to sign it. Obama wrote, “Because of you, John. Barack Obama.”

You can join The Alliance for a Better Georgia as they honor the historic legacy of this Civil Rights hero.

At The Alliance’s Third Annual Comedy Roast, Rep. Lewis’ friends and colleagues will roast the Congressman for the first time ever, while The Alliance presents Lewis with the prestigious Progressive Courage Award.

Please join the fun on August 31 at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center to honor one of the most important Civil Rights heroes in American history.

Seats are limited. Reserve your tickets today!

Share this post