Rep. John Lewis discusses the progress made, work that remains in civil rights movement

Rep. John Lewis discusses the progress made, work that remains in civil rights movement. As a Nashville college student, he was part of a group that played an instrumental role in desegregating the city.

Violence never deterred Lewis, an apostle of nonviolence who was influenced by preachers such as King, James Lawson and Kelly Miller Smith. But even he sometimes finds America's changes breathtaking.

"Fifty years," he said, "is not a long time."

Read more:

Discover the stories that matter most to you. Support local journalism.
Subscribe for full digital access to knoxnews.com:

We’re the voice of East Tennessee, from the Smoky Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau. Since 1886, we’ve been reporting on what matters to folks around here, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the University of Tennessee Vols to Dolly Parton.

Stay up to date on local news in East Tennessee by following knoxnews on social media:

Twitter: @knoxnews
Facebook:
Instagram:

And for UT sports:

Twitter: @GoVolsXtra
Facebook:

Knoxville,Tennessee,Knox News,Knoxville News Sentinel,local news,