The Washington Informer’s publisher, Denise Rolark Barnes, presents Congressman John Lewis with the news organization’s first Humanitarian Award at THEARC Theatre in Southeast, Thursday,
April 19. / Photos by Khalid Naji-Allah
A Conversation with John Lewis
Civil Rights Icon Regales Appreciative Audience
By Barrington M. Salmon
WI Staff Writer
For a man who was beaten,
spat upon and jailed 40 times
as a foot soldier of the Civil
Rights movement, Congressman John Robert Lewis is surprisingly free of rancor and
hate.
During a 90-minute conversation with Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes last week, Lewis
spoke eloquently and at length
about the philosophy, discipline and principles of nonviolence and its importance in
America’s daily discourse.
“We need to teach people the
way of peace, love and non-violence,” said Lewis in response
to a student’s question about
the Trayvon Martin case late in
the program. “There must be a
better way, a different way …
we should live, love, [live with]
a sense of community, peace,
grace. We shouldn’t be afraid
of each other and we should
not hate. [Dr.] King said we
should lay down the burden of
hate and that if we don’t come
together as brothers, we will
die as fools.”
Lewis, 72, was the honored
guest at an event at the Town
Hall Education Arts Recre-
ation Center (THEARC) in
Southeast, titled, A Conversation
with Civil Rights Icon the Honorable John Lewis.
The evening’s sponsors
were Industrial Bank, PEPCO,
Washington Gas, Wells Fargo,
Southwest Airlines, Mahogany
Books and the Foundation for
the Advancement of Music
and Education (FAME).
Hosted by the Washington
Informer, the event brought
together several hundred people including guests, sponsors,
students and others to an afterfive gathering in the THEARC
Theatre. Guests were treated to
a short documentary film about
Lewis that detailed his early life
www.washingtoninformer.com as an Alabama farm boy; his
desire to acquire an education,
his admiration for the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King; their association and their seminal work
in the Civil Rights movement,
Lewis’ activism and his role as
a congressman.
“I wanted to be a preacher
but civil rights became my
life, the movement became
my church,” Lewis said. “I
was less concerned with getting people to the streets paved
with gold and more concerned
with helping people on the
streets of Nashville. Being in
school, listening to my professors inspired and pushed me.
We wanted to make the teach-
ing of people real. [These were
people with] pains that hurt,
pains that hurt people every
day. We couldn’t allow people
to be denied human rights. It
was an affront to our dignity.”
As he surveyed life for blacks
in a segregated America, Lewis said he was incensed at the
shabby treatment meted out
to he and his family and other
black Americans.
“We couldn’t take a seat
at a lunch counter and to see
two water fountains, one for
whites and the other for blacks.
It scarred the minds and souls
of people. We had to change
that,” he explained.
“I was told over and over by
The Washington Informer
my parents and grandparents
to stay out of trouble but this
was good trouble, necessary
trouble. The bombing of the
church in Birmingham broke
our hearts but we redoubled
our efforts to vote.”
But that activism came at a
price.
Lewis recalled being punched
and kicked, having racists grind
out cigarettes in his hair, being manhandled by police during demonstrations, attacked
by police dogs, and suffering
a concussion after being hit in
the head with batons by state
troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the 1965
March on Selma.
Despite all this, Lewis said,
he wouldn’t hesitate to do it all
again.
Lewis discussed the ultimate
price extracted from King,
Robert and John F. Kennedy.
He said he was campaigning
for and traveling with Robert
Kennedy who was running for
the Democratic nomination to
the White House in 1968.
“RFK invited a group of
us to come to his sister’s hotel room,” Lewis said. “He
said ‘stay here. I’ll be back in
15 minutes.’ He went down to
See LEWIS on Page 23
Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
21
Inspired by a Movement…
At age 17, John Lewis was so inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that he wrote a letter to Rev. King
asking to meet him. Dr. King responded and sent Lewis a round-trip Greyhound bus ticket to meet
with him in Montgomery, Ala. The Washington Informer asked Richard Wright Public Charter School
students to write a letter to someone who inspires them and tell them why they would want to meet
them and join their cause. Below are excerpts of three compelling letters selected by The Washington
Informer staff.
David McFarland
The Trevor Project
The Honorable Julian Bond
The American University
Anthony Lake
UNICEF House
Dear McFarland:
Dear Mr. Bond:
Dear Mr. Lake:
I am writing this letter to you because I
am very passionate about ending the cycle
of bullying. I selected your organization to
write to because you focus on supporting
gay, lesbian, transgender,
or questioning youth and
ending the cycle of suicide
among these youth by
providing “life-saving” and
“life-affirming’ resources.
I think it is wonderful that
your organization exists and
that it has a 24/7 lifeline
intervention that the youth
can call if they feel like they
need someone to talk to.
I understand that the
Trevor Project’s vision is to
create a future where all youth can have the
same dreams and possibilities as everyone
else, no matter what sexual orientation, or
gender identity that they choose to be. That
is a future I want to experience. I want to be
affiliated with your organization because in
the past, I have been bullied. I have been
pushed around, and tortured, and it got to
that point where I felt like nothing. Your
organization would have been great to know
about back then.
Another reason I’d like to be a part of your
group is because one of my closet friends
that I knew since 5th grade recently committed suicide. You see she was being bullied
because she came out as a lesbian.
When I first heard about the Trevor Project, I thought to myself, if only I had known
about this earlier then I could’ve helped my
friend, I could’ve done something.
One way I think this can be stopped is to
get parents more involved. It’s not right to
bully, and
I am writing this letter because this bullying
thing has been happening a lot and it’s time
for this to stop. I am very pleased to learn
about the work that your organization does.
I would love to become a volunteer, or an
advocate at any time. Please contact me to
advise me of ways that I can get involved
and make a difference. Thank you for all you
hard work and effort.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
I am writing this letter to let you know that
I support the marriage between same sex
couples. I believe this is a civil rights issue.
Since you have always been a supporter for
civil rights I hope you
believe this way, too.
Discrimination against
same sex couples is wrong.
Same sex relationships are
just as beautiful as opposite sex relationships. As a
homosexual male myself,
and not only that, but I’m
being raised by a same sex
couple I want to honor
myself and my family.
My mother and her
fiancé’ are doing a fantastic
job raising me and my siblings. What can
opposite sex couples teach kids that same sex
couples can’t?
This topic is really sensitive for me because
I’ve recently come out. I’ve been teased and
discriminated against on more than one occasion. I think that treating someone differently
just because they like something different
from you is borderline mean. It bothers me
that it’s a huge million man march when a
“homie” from the hood gets killed. It’s all
over the news and everywhere. But when a
transgender is slain with a slit throat at a bus
stop, people say absolutely nothing. Maybe
you get a “this is a sad world we’re coming
to” and then someone flips the channel on
the television, or the page in the newspaper
is turned.
Legalizing gay marriage would be a giant
move to help people accept homosexuals as
equals. People need to wake up and realize
that there are people in the world who are
born differently.
What would legalizing gay marriage mean
for me? This movement means the world to
me. I know of your history with civil rights.
I believe that you can offer me sound advice
on how I can make same-sex marriage a reality in my lifetime. I hope that you will contact
me with information.
De’Quan Barclift
9th Grade
Arianna Marsh
9th Grade Student
I am passionate about ending world hunger
and helping needy children. I really appreciate the work that has been done by your
organization. I feel that UNICEF is one of
the greatest organizations
supporting children today
and I would love to be a
part of it.
UNICEF is over 50
years old but it is still
needed today because
every year, 15 million
children throughout the
world die from hunger.
Current data suggests
that even in America, 1 in
4 children are at risk of
starvation.
UNICEF is an organization that not many
teenagers around me know about. But now
that I know more about it, I feel as though
I should inform others. World hunger is
something that really affects young people in
over 150 countries around the world. From
my research I learned what UNICEF really
stands for.
I learned that UNICEF is a global humanitarian relief organization providing children
with so much to keep them alive like; healthcare, immunizations, clean water, nutrition,
food security, education, emergency relief
and so much more. That really inspired me
to want to help children whose parents can’t
afford to feed them, or take them to regular
doctor visits. I’ve always wanted to help
people that didn’t have much in life and to
find out that this organization helps children
in over 150 countries really makes me want to
be a part of something so significant.
If you think about it this organization is
saving lives of young people every day. Even
though there are still 21,000 children that still
die each day from preventable causes, with
organizations like UNICEF, this situation will
get better.
I would love to participate in the fight to
feed and protect young people all over the
world because it is something that needs
to be done. During the past four years, our
economy has more families in poverty and
more children suffering. Every day I think
about what I can do to help others. Please
write to me and let me know what I can do to
get involved.
Sincerely,
Akiya Kent
9th Grade Student
22 Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
The Washington Informer www.washingtoninformer.com
Natural Gas. Efficient by Nature.
The desire for a better tomorrow comes naturally…
Mistress of Ceremonies, Taylor Thomas , WHUR News-Steve Harvey
Morning Show, looks on while The Washington Informer’s Advertising
Marketing Director Ron Burke makes a few remarks at THEARC,
Thursday, April 19. The Washington Informer presented A Conversation
with Civil Rights Icon-John Lewis, Thursday, April 19. / Photo by Shevry
Lassiter
LEWIS
continued from Page 21
make a victory statement [after
winning the California Democratic nomination]. He never
came back.”
And Lewis said he cried
when he saw the MLK Memorial from the air.
“I spoke on the day of the
March – 10 of us spoke. I was
sixth and King was 10th,” Lewis
recalled. “Of all the 10, I’m
the only one still around. He
[King] preached that day and
turned those steps into a modern-day pulpit.”
“When I was flying out of
National Airport, I looked
down and saw the King Memorial. I cried tears of happiness
and joy knowing the distance
we’d come.”
For almost three hours,
guests met, shook hands,
hugged, chit-chatted and took
pictures with the civil rights
symbol. They also witnessed a
sit-down with Rolark Barnes
and were able to ask questions
themselves.
The evening included a special reception in the theatre
lobby; a sparkling short set of
three songs by theThe Oxon
Hill High School Choir which
wowed the audience with its
rendition of In Bright Mansions; with one of the highlights being the presentation
of the first Washington Informer
Humanitarian Award to Lewis
at the conclusion of the program. WHUR’s Taylor Thomwww.washingtoninformer.com as served as MC and sponsor
representatives brought greetings and spoke of the importance of putting their support
behind such a program. Every
guest received a copy of Lewis’
book “Walking in the Wind: A
Memoir of the Movement.”
The man of the hour appeared to enjoy himself, exhibiting charm, self-deprecation and
a dry, keenly honed sense of
humor, all with a straight face.
“On my father’s farm, we
raised corn and peanuts and
raised chickens. It was not an
easy task,” he explained. “My
calling, mission and obligation
was to care for those chickens.
[I didn’t always do as good a
job as I should have] which was
not moral, loving or the nonviolent thing to do. I wanted to
be a preacher so I preached to
the chickens … some chickens
bowed their heads, listened and
prayed. They did everything,
but say amen.” They listened
better than many of the colleagues I work with.”
The pair sat in armchairs facing each other on stage, a small
table with a bouquet of flowers
provided an intimate addition
to the setting. Rolark Barnes
told guests the event was made
possible because Lewis suggested, and then kindly offered, to participate in the program because he wanted to use
this as a vehicle to reach young
people.
D.C. resident Julian Kiganda
was awed by what she’d expe-
Fulfilling it takes work. Washington Gas
understands that our responsibilities don’t end with
serving our customers. We’ve made a commitment to
help enhance the quality of life throughout the entire
community. That’s why we’re proud to work with
local organizations that improve people’s health,
promote a cleaner environment, support efforts to
better educate our youth and as a result, enrich lives
today and for generations to come.
To learn more about how Washington Gas is helping
create a healthier, more vibrant community, visit
washingtongas.com.
pepco.com
Change requires
great energy.
We proudly salute the energy and courage of
The Honorable John Lewis.
See LEWIS on Page 24
The Washington Informer
Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
23
Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.),
sat down with Washington Informer
Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes
at the THEARC Theatre for a
conversation about his childhood,
his experiences in the Civil Rights
movement and his hopes for future
generations during “A Conversation
with Civil Rights Icon” John Lewis.
Hundreds attended the event at
the THEARC in Southeast on
Thursday, April 19. /Photos by
Khalid Naji-Allah and Shevry
Lassiter
“In 1955, I heard King.
The voice was powerful,
the delivery of his message
LEWIS
continued from Page 23
rienced.
“I thought it was incredible
for me as a woman of African
descent to see the relationship
with the movement to Africa
as we sought to get away from
colonialism,” said Kiganda,
president and creative problem solver with Vibrant Design
Group and a Ugandan native.
“I didn’t have any expectations;
I just wanted to hear what he
had to say.”
“I wish more young people
were here to hear this. We
need more dialogue. The National Urban League is where I
learned about the Civil Rights
movement. It was a movement
of young people. He was only
23 when he gave his speech [at
so great. He said he was
more concerned about
Montgomery, not Heaven,
the here and now.”
the March on Washington]. We
have no excuse.”
From Alabama Farm Boy
to the Hallowed Halls
of Congress
Lewis grew up under humble
circumstances in Troy, Ala. The
24 Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
third of 10 children, Lewis’
parents were sharecroppers.
“I grew up in a wonderful
family, a wonderful family with
six brothers and three sisters,”
he said.
His father bought a 110-acre
plot of land for $300 which
The Washington Informer Lewis and his siblings toiled
on from dawn ’til dusk. But the
young Lewis wanted more and
he said he hid under the house
porch and them sprang out and
sprinted for the school bus
each morning.
“I really wanted an education. I wanted more,” was Lewis’ simple explanation.
He said his grandfather lived
about a mile away and would
give his grandchildren newspapers to read. He excelled academically despite being transported to classes in a run-down
school bus, using hand-medown books at a system that
only thought blacks capable of
performing manual and menial
tasks.
Lewis credits one of his elementary school teachers with
encouraging him to read. The
family also listened to the ra-
dio, which is where he first
heard King.
“In 1955 I heard King,” he
recalled. “The voice was powerful, the delivery of his message so great. He said he was
more concerned about Montgomery, not Heaven, the here
and now.”
Lewis studied at the American Baptist Theological Seminary and at Fisk University,
both in Nashville. He was
deeply influenced by Jim Wilson, who instilled in Lewis,
Diane Nash and other students the deepest tenets of
non-violence. Lewis first ran
for elected office in 1977. He
won a seat on the Atlanta City
Council in 1981. He defeated
longtime civil rights activist Julian Bond in a run-off election
See LEWIS on Page 25
www.washingtoninformer.com
Among his many accomplishments,
Congressman John Lewis is the
author of Walking with the Wind:
A Memoir of the Movement.
Arrested more than 40 times,
Congressman John Lewis’ uses his
book to give readers a rare look into
the Civil Rights movement during
the late ‘50s and ‘60s. Following
his conversation at THEARC,
Congressman Lewis held a book
signing for happy attendees.
Photos by Shevry Lassiter, Roy Lewis
and Khalid Naji Allah
LEWIS
continued from Page 24
in 1986 and has served in Congress since then.
A Date with Destiny
It is well known that the Civil
Rights movement owed its genesis and considerable energy
to determined and ideological
young men and women who
braved the rage of the beneficiaries of a dying system which
sought to keep African Americans under the heel of segregation, racism and discrimination. High school and college
students and others braved
police dogs, fire hoses, police
truncheons, beatings and other
physical dangers as they stood
down those who sought to
maintain the racial status quo.
www.washingtoninformer.com Inspirational music was performed by Oxon Hill High School Choir under
the direction of Dr. Emory Andrews. Their rendition of In Bright Mansions
wowed the audience. / Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah
King, for example, was only
26-years-old went he leapt onto
the national and international
consciousness as the leader of
the 381-day Montgomery, Ala.,
bus boycott that brought down
segregation in public transportation in the heart of the Old
South. Nash, a friend and colleague of Lewis was only 22
when she became the leader of
the sit-ins in Nashville, Tenn.,
which led to the desegregation
of lunch counters, theatres and
supermarkets. She was also instrumental in helping create
the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, helped
organize the Freedom Rides
and played important roles in
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that included
serving as an organizer, strategist, instructor and fieldworker.
Lewis said he chafed against
the bonds that held black people captive and refused to accept a system that robbed African Americans of their dignity
and self-respect.
“Fifty years ago, we couldn’t
vote. We had to count the number of jelly beans in a jar,” he
said. “… People had to pay poll
taxes and interpret sections of
the Alabama Constitution. So
many institutions participated
in this vicious, evil system. I
saw it growing up.”
Lewis recounted his involvement in desegregating lunch
The Washington Informer
counters in Nashville, Tenn.,
and taking part in the harrowing bus rides as Freedom Riders into the South to challenge
a law that relegated blacks to
use separate and unequal facilities and forced them to the
back of the bus.
He vividly recalls the mobs
of white men – faces distorted
with rage – attacking him and
the other young college students with fists, crowbars, baseball bats, chains, anything that
could inflict pain. And on the
sidelines, white women with
countenances knitted in raw,
naked anger, spurred on their
men. He spoke of the “Whites
Only” and “Colored Only”
signs, segregated water fountains, libraries, restrooms, restaurants and buses – all graphic
See LEWIS on Page 26
Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
25
Honoring a Giant
It has been said, “We stand on the shoulders of giants.” And by giants we
mean extraordinary people who, through hard work and sacrifice, accept the
challenge to stand for that which is right. Individuals who make a commitment
to initiate and maintain transformational change for the benefit of
all people, and not just the privileged few.
The Honorable John Lewis is such a giant. He is a living legend with a legacy of
dedicated service and commitment to his constituents. Industrial Bank is both
honored and proud to sponsor “A Conversation with John Lewis.”
Industrial Bank (202) 722-200
www.industrial-bank.com
Member FDIC
Congressman John Lewis autographs his book—Walking with the Wind: A
Memoir of the Movement. /Photos by Khalid Naji-Allah
LEWIS
continued from Page 27
reminders of the centuries-old
tradition and customs that segregationists said “were in the
best interest of both races.”
“There was a lot of danger
fighting a system that didn’t
want you,” said Lewis. “For
several weeks we were trained
to accept the beatings and violence. We had the ‘dos’ and
‘don’ts’: sit up, look straight
ahead, remember the teachings
of King, Gandhi …”
“There were mass arrests in
Nashville … They had a profound effect on people, especially women. People turned in
charging plates, what you call
credit cards. We just kept sitting-in and sitting-in. My first
arrest was on Feb 27, 1960. I
was satisfied. It felt so free, I
felt so liberated. It felt like I
crossed over. You arrest me.
What can you do to me? Nashville became the first southern
city to desegregate lunch counters [and] theatres.”
Lewis said that as an 18-yearold, he wrote King because
he was so inspired by King’s
26 Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
The Washington Informer words and actions and also
because he sought King’s help
in getting him into Troy State
University. King sent him a
bus ticket to join him in Montgomery, Ala., instead, and that
act led to Lewis’ involvement
in the Civil Rights struggle, a
life dedicated to seeking justice
and equality for the poor and
the underdog, and an unerring
desire to change the racial paradigm of the United States.
“I heard that young preacher
with a voice that burned with
change,” Lewis said. “I was inspired to write a letter to King.
I was ‘tracked down’ to play a
role. I often wonder about that.
In March 1958, I boarded a
Greyhound bus and met Martin Luther King. It changed my
life … freedom was a possible
dream.”
Reaching Out to a
New Generation
Following Lewis’ letter writing example, a number of
journalism students from the
Richard Wright Public Charter
School in Northeast wrote letSee LEWIS on Page 27
www.washingtoninformer.com
LEWIS
continued from Page 26
ters to individuals and organizations seeking their help in attacking social ills such as child
hunger, bullying, gay rights for
young people, and racial profiling, as evidenced by the recent
murders of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.,
and Kenneth Chambers, Sr., a
68-year-old former corrections
officer and U.S. Marine, who
was fatally shot in his home last
November by police in White
Plains, N.Y.
Ninth-grader Akiya Kent is
one such writer: “I am writing
this letter to you because I am
passionate about ending world
hunger and helping needy children,” she wrote to Anthony
Lake, executive director of
UNICEF House in New York.
“I really appreciate the work
that has been done by your organization. I feel that UNICEF
is one of the greatest organizations supporting children today
and I would love to be a part
of it.”
“UNICEF is [more than] 50
9_04710
9.5x6
4c
years old but it is still needed
today because every year, 15
million children throughout
the world die from hunger.”
Obama’s Promise
A close friend of Hillary
Clinton, Lewis first endorsed
her run for the White House in
2008 before formally switching
to Barack Obama.
“Obama’s run was in keeping with the spirit of the
movement,” Lewis explained.
“When I heard Obama’s [acceptance speech], I cried. I
jumped so high I didn’t think
my feet would ever touch the
ground.”
Gloria Ravenell and her
husband Jerry stood in line after the program to get Lewis’
book.
“I read his book and had a lot
of background,” said Ravenell,
68, who is retired but serves
as outreach coordinator for
the Capital Area Food Bank.
“I found him to be humble,
knowledgeable and a prayerful
person.”
Her husband agreed.
“What intrigued me most is
that he is so human; he’s not
tainted,” said Jerry Ravenell,
64, an adjunct professor of
Social Sciences in Wilmington,
Del. “He has been able to keep
that with all his gifts and resources. He’s still that humble,
God-fearing person.”
Despite the hard-won and
often bloody gains Lewis,
King, Ella Baker, C.T. Vivian,
Fannie Lou Hamer, Nash and
others of his generation made
to advance the cause of civil
rights, Lewis laments the fact
that America remains in denial
about race.
“I don’t buy the feeling that
we live in a post-racial America,” Lewis asserted. “The scars
and stains are still deeply embedded in America. We need
to talk about race. We cannot
sweep it under the rug, push
it in a corner. In the AfricanAmerican community and in
the majority community we’re
afraid to talk about it, bring it
out.”
“The fact is that we still have
a long way to go and a lot of
work to do to achieve a multiracial, democratic society. We
had a powerful coalition [before] and we need it again.” wi
Partners and sponsors made a conversation with Congressman John Lewis
possible. A special thanks to: (Left-Right) Hermond Palmer, Industrial
Bank; Patricia Mitchell, Industrial Bank; Donna Cooper, Pepco; Beverly
Perry, Pepco; Michael Golden, Wells Fargo Bank; and Karen Price Ward,
Southwest Airlines. / photo by Shevry Lassiter
Congressman John Lewis, center, with students from Richard Wright Public
Charter School in Northeast, Thursday April 19, at THEARC, in Southeast
DC. / photo by Roy Lewis
The legacy of leadership
Great leaders leave a mark on the
communities they serve. They bring
people together, create a consensus
and work hard to make positive
change. What is accomplished today
can last for generations.
We proudly salute Congressman
John Lewis. Thank you for creating
a lasting legacy of success.
wellsfargo.com
© 2012 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. (712889_04710)
712889_04710 9.5x6 4c.indd 1
www.washingtoninformer.com The Washington Informer
4/4/12 2:47 PM
Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
27
By “Mickey” Thompson
Content provided and photos owned by Social Sightings • www.SocialSightings.com
A Conversation with Civil Rights Icon
Honorable John Lewis
The Washington Informer Newspaper hosted a book signing and discussion with the civil rights icon, Congressman John
Lewis at THEARC Theatre in Southeast Washington. Ms. Taylor Thomas (96.3 WHUR, News - Steve Harvey Morning Show
was the mistress of ceremonies. Atty. Denise Rolark Barnes (Publisher of the Washington Informer Newspaper) presented the
honoree with The Washington Informer Humanitarian Award. Mr. Lewis’ book “Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the
Movement was discussed and a viewing of his documentary film “John Lewis: An American Hero” was enjoyed by all. FAME
(The Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, Inc.), Pepco, Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo Bank , WashingtonGas, Industrial Bank, Capital Entertainment Services, Inc. , Mahongany Books and “Mickey” Thompson publisher of
Social Sightings - The MagaZine & The CoLumn were sponsors. Music was provided by Ignatius Perry.
The Honorable John Lewis (C) stands beside Michael Goldman (President
Wells Fargo Bank DC Region) & members of his team from Wells Fargo
Event Sponsors of “A Conversation with Civil Rights Icon” John Lewis
L-R Edmund Fleet (Ex. Dir. THEARC) , Atty. Beverly Perry (VP Pepco) , Atty. Maudine Cooper (CEO & Pres.Greater Washington
Urgan League), Michael Golden (Pres. Wells Fargo Bank DC Region) & Karen Price Ward (Southwest Airlines).
Ms. Patricia Mitchell (Industrial Bank) with her son
watches as the honoree autographes a copy of his book
“Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movementt:”.
(L-R) Michael Golden (Pres. Wells Fargo Bank DC Region ) with Ron
Burke (Advertising & Marketing Dir. Washington Informer) & Atty.
Denise Rolark Barnes (Publisher Washington Informer Newspaper)
The honoree Lewis (C) between Doris McMillon (McMillon Communications) with her husband.
Doyle Mitchell (President of Industrial Bank far right) with his sister, Patricia (4th left) and his wife
(Ronda Far Right) surround Congressman John Lewis with the Mitchell children.
Trenda
Smith
Picknettjust
justtwo
twoof ofthethe
many
came
Dorinda
Smith&&Dr.
Dr.Leo
Leo Picknett
many
whowho
came
outtotolisten
listen and
and purchase
purchase books
John
Lewis
out
booksfrom
fromCongressman
Congressman
John
Lewis
Ms. Misty Brown (Writer & Artist)
with Congressman John Lewis
Kurt Pommouths, Sr. Photographer * Photo Enhancer * Graphic Designer
2003 © SOCIAL SIGHTINGS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - DUPLICATIONS IN ANY FORM REQUIRES WRITTEN PERMISSION | E-mail [email protected]
28 Apr. 26, 2012 - May. 2, 2012
The Washington Informer www.washingtoninformer.com