Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church in Atlanta saw a Black ex-president talk about the contributions of John Lewis in paving the way for a Black President to sit on the coveted position for 8 long years. Barack Obama’s speech wasn’t all remembrance- it went beyond just a simple tribute and actually spoke of the work of Lewis which we would be doing a disservice to, if not progressed further.
Obama stated that Lewis’s life was dedicated to fighting racial inequality from all walks of life, and the current situation makes it all the more glaring- in a country filled with people wanting to undermine the struggle of one, voices had to be raised. Obama spoke of the Selma Bridge incident, where Lewis was struck by state troopers at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and how it fits in perfectly with the state adjudicated brutality on the people protesting against it even now.
He then spoke about the actions of his successor, who never bothered to have any remembrance for this late Congressman, although quite a few ex-presidents made the walk. “We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here there are those in power that are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting,” Obama said.