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Date: 5/22/2015
SPRINGFIELD – For Congressman John Lewis, delivering the commencement address for the Elms College on May 16, founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph (SSJ), was a profound moment.
“It is almost too much,” the civil rights pioneer said. “To stand here is almost unreal, unbelievable.”
The order played a key role in Lewis’ life. It was 50 years ago that Lewis helped lead the march from Selma, AL, to the state capitol of Montgomery to advocate for voting rights for African-Americans. Alabama State Police beat Lewis so badly that he has no memory of how he was brought to the only hospital in Selma that would treat African-Americans.
Those who treated his wounds included members of the SSJ from Rochester, NY. Lewis, who was elected to Congress in 1986 to represent a district in Georgia, interrupted his talk to thank and hug Sr. Maxyne Schneider, president of the SSJ of Springfield.
In his introduction of his congressional colleague, Congressman Richard Neal said Lewis “has spent a lifetime of trying to erase the great stain of race from American history.”
Neal said the march Lewis led helped passed two civil right bills that were “arguably the greatest legislative achievements of the 20th century.”
Recalling his humble upbringing in rural Alabama, Lewis noted how he saw signs that segregated public facilities and businesses. His parents and others told him, “Don’t get in the way, don’t get into trouble.”
While in the 10th grade, though, he heard about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. “It inspired me to get into trouble, good trouble,” he said.
He advised the students – the largest graduating class in the college’s history – to “find a way to get in the way.”
He told them their “mandate, their mission” is to leave the Earth “greener, cleaner and a little more peaceful.”
Lewis called for immigration reform and said, “We’re all one people. We all live in the same house.”
He noted the changes he has seen in his life. When growing up, he could not use the local library that was for whites only. He returned to the library in Troy, AL, in 1998 when he was invited to do a book signing one of his books. He noted with pride the library then gave him a library card.
He also told the graduates of the experience of having a father and son visiting his office. The older man admitted he had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan and asked for Lewis’ forgiveness. Lewis remembers that he and the two other men all broke down in tears.
He appealed to the graduates to “help humanize the country, help humanize the world.”
Lewis received an honorary degree from the college and Sr. Mary Reap, president of The Elms, said Lewis “echoes the values of the college community.”