News, White House Report

Remembering John Lewis: Friend, Leader, Moral Compass

April Ryan
July 20, 2020

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the civil rights leader stands beneath a bust of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as members of the Congressional Black Caucus gather for the memorial ceremony for the late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. Rep. Cummings, a Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, died Oct. 17 after complications from long-standing health problems. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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The world is reeling from the death of Congress member John Lewis (D-MD), who was the last living speaker of the March on Washington in 1963. The commemoration of the March of Washington will be virtual on August 27 and 28.

April Ryan speaks with Congress member Marcia Fudge (D-OH), longtime colleague of Rep. Lewis, who says he was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things; a friend, leader, and moral compass. Rep. Fudge also talks about the virtual March on Washington and the Black Lives Matter movement capturing the world’s attention.

Click ▶️ to listen to AURN Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan’s White House Report:

Six leaders of the nation’s largest black civil rights organizations meet in New York’s Hotel Roosevelt on July 2, 1963, to plan a civil rights march on Washington. From left, are: John Lewis, chairman Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee; Whitney Young national director, Urban League; A. Philip Randolph, president of the Negro American Labor Council; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. president Southern Christian Leadership Conference; James Farmer, Congress of Racial Equality director; and Roy Wilkins, executive secretary, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)

FILE – In this April 2, 1965 file photo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., second from right, speaks at a news conference next to John Lewis, to his left, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, in Baltimore. Monday is both Inauguration Day and the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. It is only the second time the two have fallen on the same day. Some say its only fitting the celebrations are intertwined. Its almost like fate and history coming together, said U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who worked alongside King in the fight for civil rights during the 1950s and 60s and plans to attend the inauguration. If it hadnt been for Martin Luther King Jr., there would be no Barack Obama as president. (AP Photo/William A. Smith, File)

Civil rights leaders hold a news conference in Montgomery, Ala. and announce that the Freedom Rides will continue, May 23, 1961. In the foreground is John Lewis, one of the riders who was beaten. Others, left to right: James Farmer, Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Rev. Martin Luther King. Lewis wears bandage on head. (AP Photo)

April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House, a position she has held with AURN since the Clinton era. Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her heightened insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation. April has written three books; The Presidency in Black & White: My Close-Up View of Three Presidents and Race in America, At Mama's Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White, and Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House. Twitter: @aprildryan