Dr. Rick
“I believe in freedom of speech, but I also believe that we have an obligation to condemn speech that is racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic, or hateful.” — John Lewis
If you watched the Oscars earlier this week, then you’ll recall when famed civil rights activist and Georgia Congressman John Lewis took the stage to help introduce the film Green Book.
Lewis is best known for decades of civil rights activism, especially for suffering injuries at the hands of state troopers during the 1965 Selma March.
And while there has been some controversy and backlash for “using” the Congressman in this manner, there is no doubt that his powerful words, referring to the Jim Crow South, the setting in which Green Book takes place, rang loudly for all who heard:
“I can bear witness that the portrait of that time and place in our history is very real. It is seared in my memory. Our nation bears the scars of that time, as do I.”