CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS

You've written about your life before, but this is the first time it's been given a graphic-novel treatment. What was it like seeing an artist's recreation of, for example, memories of your childhood?

It was very moving. I shared with Nate and with Andrew my early growing up with my brothers and sisters, my mother and father, in rural Alabama. There were never that many photographs—very few, if any, people had cameras when I was growing up. It was simple, and at times bleak, but at times very hopeful that we would be able to improve our lot. Especially when my father bought 110 acres of land in 1944 and we moved. But it was very difficult, still, for many, many years.

Early on in March, there's a section about the importance of your relationship with your Uncle Otis, who you wrote "saw something in me that I hadn't yet seen." Can you tell me more about his role in your life?

I believe my Uncle Otis did see something very special about me and in me. He encouraged me to stay in school and get an education, and he did everything to support me, including taking me on a trip to Buffalo with another uncle and my aunt and cousins. When I first went off to college, he gave me a footlocker and also a $100 bill—more money than I ever had. And he stayed in touch. His encouragement and support meant a great deal. He was very proud when I got involved in the civil rights movement, but he worried, like my mother and father and other relatives, that something could happen to me.

In your SVA commencement speech you urged the graduates to get into "necessary trouble," as you did at their age. What cause or causes would you dedicate yourself to if you were a college student or young graduate today?

I would get involved with helping to do something about comprehensive immigration reform, helping to dramatize the need to fix the Voting Rights Act, and doing something about climate change, protecting the environment—urging people to come together and plan and work together to leave this little piece of real estate we call Earth a little greener and a little cleaner and a little more peaceful.

In March, you mention drawing strength from the Bible. What other works have inspired or influenced you?

In addition to the Bible, I was moved by reading about what Gandhi attempted to do, and what he accomplished. He was going up against the British Empire, and he succeeded. He never gave up or gave in. He never used violence. He helped change India and inspired men and women all around the world. And his life and work still inspire people today.

I also remember, as a young student, being in school at Fisk University, and seeing the work of Aaron Douglas. He was one of my teachers—he taught me art appreciation. But his work inspired me, and many, many other young people. His art described life as it was during those days, and when you look at those paintings, those drawings, they are itching. They said, in effect, that it doesn’t have to be this way. They gave us hope to dream for a better day and for a better world.

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