U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ Fight For Civil Rights Began With A Letter To Martin Luther King Jr.

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January 17th, 2020

U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia near the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. At StoryCorps in 2018, Lewis talked about meeting King in Montgomery, Ala., at 18.

Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Image

U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia is the last living speaker from the March on Washington, the 1963 landmark civil rights protest that culminated with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

But before Lewis dedicated his life to fighting for racial equality, he grew up in Troy, Ala., with dreams of becoming a different kind of orator.

“When I was very young, I wanted to preach the gospel,” Lewis said on a visit to StoryCorps in February 2018.

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