WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on a second-story balcony at Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
It's a day Congressman and Civil Rights activist John Lewis will never forget.
"I heard that he had been shot, but it was Robert Kennedy who announced that he had been assassinated like others I broke down and I cried," Lewis said. "I knew America had lost a leader and many of us had lost a wonderful friend."
Lewis was inspired by King. In 1957, then 17-year-old Lewis heard of the great work of Dr. King. Lewis grew up in rural Alabama. He wanted to attend a college ten miles from his home. Lewis said the school did not admit African-Americans, so he wrote a letter to Dr. King for help.
A year later, they met in Montgomery, Alabama and that's where their friendship began. And now 50 years later, Lewis holds on to the lessons he learned from his friend.
"Dr. King insists that we must be optimistic that we must be hopeful, and we must be part of the change we seek. We cannot give up. We cannot get lost in the sea of despair," Lewis said. "He was hopeful. He was always moving towards the future. He would tell us to stand out, speak up, speak out. Find a way to get in the way, find a way to get in trouble - good trouble, necessary trouble."
For those young activists looking to live the legacy of Dr. King, Lewis said Dr. King would encourage them to keep going.
"The message of Dr. King would be not to give up, not to give in, never become bitter or hostile, never hate...for hate is too heavy a burden to bear."
On Wednesday, Lewis will be at the park in Indianapolis, Indiana where he learned the news that his friend was assassinated. He has not been back to that park since.
