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Lewis, now 71, spoke on the 50th anniversary of the day when a group of Freedom Riders nearly died when their bus was firebombed in Anniston, Ala. Lewis himself was severely beaten on Freedom Rides before and after that date, once in South Carolina and once in Alabama. Eventually, though, the nonviolent commitment to justice and equality carried the day — and that was the heart of Lewis’ commencement message. “We didn’t give in,” he told the graduates. “And you must not give in. Keep your eyes on the prize.” Lewis, who grew up on a farm in rural Alabama, recalled being jarred and offended in his youth when he encountered the “colored” and “white” signs on visits to the cities of Tuskegee, Montgomery and Birmingham. In 1955, when he was 15, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Dr. King led the famed bus boycott that followed. “I heard about Rosa Parks,” Lewis said. “I was inspired by Dr. King. I got into trouble. I got into good trouble.” And he instructed the graduates to do the same. “Find a way to get in the way. Find a way to get into good trouble.” In his native Alabama, he recalled, African-Americans attempting to register to vote were required to answer impossible and humiliating questions. “We changed that,” Lewis said. “We marched. We were beaten on the bridge in Selma. We didn’t give
Lewis, now 71, spoke on the 50th anniversary of the day when a group of Freedom Riders nearly died when their bus was firebombed in Anniston, Ala. up. We put our bodies on the line.” And now, he told the graduates, “It’s your time to lead. It’s your turn to get in the way.” There is still much work to be done, he said, “to create a society at peace with itself.” Nelms, who has heard more than a few graduation addresses over the years, was impressed. “He connected with the audience better than any commencement speaker I’ve ever met,” he said. “He spoke from the heart — no notes. It was as though he were speaking personally to each person assembled. He’s a captivating storyteller, and I think those skills are rooted in his life experiences.” Nelms presented Lewis, who has represented an Atlantaarea district in Congress since 1986, with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, saying, “John Lewis, you are an American hero.”
Fall 2011 NCCU NOW
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