House Proceeding 04-21-09 on Apr 21st, 2009 :: 0:17:15 to 0:21:55
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0:17:11 to 0:17:32( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: for five minutes each. and -- mrs. bachmann today for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house

0:17:15 to 0:21:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Lewis

John Lewis pays tribute to John Hope Franklin

0:17:33 to 0:17:57( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: for five minutes, to revise and extend their remarks, and to include therein extraneous material. mr. lewis, georgia for five minutes. mr. skelton, missouri for five minutes. ms. woolsey of california for five minutes. mr. defazio of oregon for five minutes. mr. sestak of pennsylvania for

0:17:58 to 0:18:19( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: five minutes. mr. bow seary of ohio for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. mr. lewis of georgia. the gentleman is recognized for

0:18:20 to 0:18:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: five minutes. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i rise to pay franklin. dr. franklin grew up in a segregated oklahoma. he was only 7 years old when his new family home was burned to the ground and caused a race

0:18:41 to 0:19:01( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: riot of 1921. as a child he was elected from white only train cars. he was forced to attend segregated schools. on one occasion he was threatened with lynching. john hope franklin tasted the bitter fruits of segregation and racial discrination and he didn't like it.

0:19:02 to 0:19:22( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: but he did not give up. he did not give in. he did not give out. his parents taught him to hold his head high that he was equal of every human being. they told him to forget any thought of oppression and spend his time improving his own value

0:19:23 to 0:19:43( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: and worth. so he followed his father's example and began spinning every -- spending every evening reading and writing, a habit he continued until he died just a few days ago. dr. franklin attended fish university in nashville, tennessee, where he graduated at

0:19:44 to 0:20:04( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: the topf his class. then he earned a master and ph.d. degree from harvard college. he had planned to be a lawyer like his father. but one of his professors encouraged him to tell the store riff african-americans, to tell their history. his first book

0:20:05 to 0:20:25( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: slavery to freedom" sold 3.5 million copies. he became a full professor at brooklyn college. and he taught one of our colleagues in the senate. he was appointed chair of the history department at the university of chicago. many years later he became a professor at duke university.

0:20:26 to 0:20:47( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: i knew john hope franklin. he was a beautiful human being. he never gave up on the promise of america. even though he saw america's dark past, he never lost faith in the dream of a new day. he believed that if we were willing to take a hard look at where we have been, we could

0:20:48 to 0:21:10( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: reconcile the future of all humanity. he believed in the nation and world community at peace with itself, and he did his part. john hoch franklin was not only a great historian, but was the champion of civilights and social justice. he worked alongside thurgood

0:21:11 to 0:21:31( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: marshall to help desegregation. in him we have laws more than a brilliant scholar, more than a noble historian, more than the father of afr history. we have lost one of the great men of our time.

0:21:32 to 0:21:54( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: presence and abiding respect in his name. the brillance and humility in his spirit that changed us all. he was an inspiration to everyone who met john hoch franklin was a prince of a man while sharing the riches of his mind and the wealth of his knowledge, he helped not just to educate but

0:21:55 to 0:21:56( Edit History Discussion )

John Lewis: to free a people and entire nation.