On President's Day, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) was honored in Atlanta. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the "forces in America that are trying to take us back to another place and another time" and pledged to continue to "speak out, and find a way to get in the way."
Ever since Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) said he doesn't see Donald Trump as "a legitimate president" (and Trump attacked Lewis, a Civil Rights icon, on MLK weekend) Lewis' words have been vindicated, with each passing day.
Over President's Day, as thousands participated in protests across the country to oppose Trump, Rep. Lewis's constituents gathered to honor him in Atlanta's 5th Congressional District.
Former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, who like Lewis worked alongside Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., introduced Lewis at the Heritage Celebration to honor Civil Rights heroes.
“We are right in the middle of another war,” Young said. “I don’t have any doubt about the outcome. One of the things I know about John is he may not know what the future holds, but he knows who holds the future.”
Jennifer Brett, of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, posted Lewis' acceptance speech on Facebook:
(Starting at 2:04)
LEWIS: Some of us were beaten in Rock Hill, and later in Montgomery. We gave a little blood. Some of our brothers and sisters gave their lives. To bring us to the point where we are today. We've come a distance. We've made a lot of progress. But we're not there yet.
There are forces in America that are trying to take us back to another place and another time. We've come too far. We've made too much progress. And we're not going back. We're going forward.
So by honoring me, you're honoring the movement.
And I will not give up. I will not give in. I will continue to stand up. Speak up. And speak out. And find a way to get in the way, to get in trouble. Good trouble. Necessary trouble.
If John Lewis won't give in, we won't either.
