Anthony Johnson reflects on cherished moments with Civil Rights icon John Lewis

Anthony Johnson worked closely with John Lewis as his first congressional press secretary and is sharing some of his most memorable and cherished moments.

Anthony Johnson worked closely with Civil Rights legend Rep. John Lewis as his first congressional press secretary and is sharing some of his most memorable and cherished moments:

Back in 1981, I was a young reporter fresh out of college working in Atlanta, Georgia. On election night that year, I met a very humble man running for city council. His name was John Robert Lewis. That was the beginning of a friendship that lasted nearly four decades and gave me an experience like no other.
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The man, being hailed as a giant and Civil Rights icon was that, and so much more. John Lewis was brave and compassionate. A lion who led with love. For me, he was a friend, a brother, and my boss, as I had the honor of serving as his first Congressional Press Secretary back in 1987. And what an adventure!

Recently, I had some personal conversations with Mr. Lewis. I paid my last visit in January and asked him if he was ever afraid while on the front lines for Civil Rights.

"I came to that point where I lost all sense of fear," Lewis said.

Yes, I was an office instigator. During our daily Capitol Hill activities, going from meetings to votes and functions, Mr. Lewis never missed an opportunity to greet everyone. He loved people and flowers. He enjoyed art and adored his wife Lillian, who preceded him in passing.

His favorite childhood story involved preaching to the chickens on his family's Pike County, Alabama farm.
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He baptized the chickens, and yes, they had names. Near the place where the chickens went to church, they named a street after Mr. Lewis in his hometown, years ago.

Yes, we laughed a lot. John Lewis was on the front lines of history. But for me, his life was a breath of fresh air in a sea of humanity that can be often cruel and heartless simply because of the color of a person's skin.

I will miss my friend.

PHOTOS: John Lewis through the years

In this Oct. 10, 2007 photo, with the Capitol Dome in the background, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington.none

President Barack Obama presents a 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., during a ceremony at the White House on Feb. 15, 2011.none

In this June 7, 2020 photo, John Lewis looks over a section of 16th Street that's been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington.none

A state trooper swings a billy club at John Lewis, right foreground, to break up a civil rights voting march in Selma, Ala., on March 7, 1965.none

John Lewis and his wife, Lillian, lead a march of supporters after he defeated Julian Bond for Georgia's Fifth Congressional District seat in Atlanta on Sept. 3, 1986.none

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., along with John Lewis, far right, march to the courthouse in Montgomery, Ala. on March 17, 1965.none

John Lewis, second from right foreground, listens as public safety director Wilson Baker warns of the dangers of night demonstrations before marching in Selma, Ala., Feb. 23, 1965.none

In this July 2, 1963 photo, six leaders of the nation's largest black civil rights organizations pose at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. John Lewis is on the far left.none

In this May 16, 2006, file photo, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Rep. Al Green, center, are arrested after a news conference regarding Darfur, at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.none

In this March 4, 2007, photo, John Lewis joins then-senator Barack Obama at a church service in Selma, Ala., on the commemoration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. protest march.none

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., speaks with reporters in Washington on March 5, 1999.none

Rep. John Lewis of Georgia speaks to delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 6, 2012.none

This Aug. 23, 1963 file photo shows John R. Lewis, National Chairman of the Student Non-Violent Committee, at the National Urban League headquarters in New York.none

In this May 10, 2007 file photo, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, R-Ga., in his office on Capitol Hill, in Washington.none

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