DeWine recounts a trip he took with John Lewis, says he ‘changed America'

COLUMBUS — In a statement regarding the death of Congressman John Lewis, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine commended Lewis on changing America by sharing his experiences of abuse and prejudice.

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Lewis took DeWine and a small group of lawmakers to Tennessee and Alabama in 2004, stated a media release from the governor’s office.

During their trip, he shared with them first-hand accounts of the abuse and prejudice he experienced as a Freedom Rider when he and fellow activists were badly beaten while riding buses throughout the South to protest segregation.

“He took us to the Rosa Parks Museum and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Reverend King had been pastor and preached hope and perseverance,” DeWine said.

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“We also walked with him to the Civil Rights Memorial, as he led us in singing ‘We Shall Overcome.‘”

The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where Bloody Sunday took place March 7 in 1965, was yet another stop the group made on their eye-opening trip.

Fran and the governor took their two youngest children with them on the trip. They will forever be grateful to Lewis for what he taught them on that journey, they said.

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“John Lewis was an extraordinary leader, teacher, and role model for us all. He left a legacy for which we all have a responsibility now to carry on,” DeWine said.

Cox Media Group