When John Lewis spoke tonight as part of a tribute to Martin Luther King, he also marked the anniversary of his own speech that day, with a different tone and in a different key.
In 1963 John Lewis, long-time representative from Georgia, was the chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the groups that organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. SNCC and CORE (Congress on Racial Equality) were the more militant groups, seeing the march as a protest against Kennedy's Civil Rights Act, as not being strong enough. The March ended up as supporting the Act, but advocating a stronger version.
John Lewis' speech was more strident than the organizers wanted, and in deference to them, he moderated his language. You can get to both versions from the link below; it is interesting to read both. And as you read them, ask yourself if this is really who John McCain wants advising him. Here is an exerpt from the end of the original speech:
We won't stop now...The time will come when we will not confine our marching to Washington. We will march through the South, through the Heart of Dixie, the way Sherman did...We whall fragmant the South into a thousand pieces and put them back together in the image of democracy...And I say to you, WAKE UP AMERICA.
We truly were witnessing history tonight in many ways. As we honor Dr. King and celebrate Barack Obama's nomination, let's remember John Lewis' voice, and all the others that led us here.
The Wikipedia site has a link to Civil Rights Movement Veterans, where you can read both versions of John Lewis' speech (and you can link to see Bob Dylan and Joan Baez sing, should you feel like it).
http://en.wikipedia.org/...