Rep. John Lewis: Remembering a Man Whose Kindness and Spirit Overcame Hatred

It’s not that often I get excited about meeting a public figure. In 2018, I was fortunate to meet Congressman John Lewis. I was excited.

The Georgia Congressman came to Chicago at the invitation of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, a non-profit, Evanston-based, legal aid agency. Rep. Lewis agreed to be the guest of honor at the Moran Center’s annual spring gala that year.

In exchange for coming to Chicago, Rep. Lewis had a simple request: he wanted to meet with youths detained at the Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Center and at a youth prison located in Chicago. He did these things, in addition to attending the gala, within a 24-hour time span.

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Rep. Lewis met with these young people. I heard from those present that the youths sat with rapt attention as the Congressman spoke to them. They knew they were in the presence of great man.

At the gala, everyone was given a brief opportunity to meet the Congressman and take their picture with him. When it was my turn to take a picture with Rep. Lewis, I leaned in and told him how thoughtful he’d been to make time to meet with the youths.

I then asked: “Do you know what a mensch is?” He paused and smiled. I said: “That’s what you are.”

The author pictured with Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, who with Rep. Lewis, co-authored the March Trilogy.