Doc Rivers shared a powerful story about an interaction he had with John Lewis
"Really sad day for our country."
Doc Rivers spoke glowingly about politician and civil rights leader John Lewis, who died Friday after a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Rivers, who coached the Celtics and is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, told reporters Saturday that he had the pleasure of meeting Lewis several times.
.@DocRivers remembers John Lewis. pic.twitter.com/wHGmQDGgpm
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 18, 2020
One particular interaction, decades later, still stands out to him to this day.
Rivers, who believes he was about 26 or 27 and played for the Atlanta Hawks at the time, was fortunate enough to go on a campaign trip with Andrew Young and Lewis. Young, who was running for governor, gave what Rivers remembers as an “absolutely amazing” speech at an all-white church.
Once they were on the plane, Rivers recalls Young turning to “Young Doc,” as he called him, and asking Rivers what he thought of the speech. Rivers replied that the speech was great but that he didn’t think Young was getting one vote from the church.
“Everybody started laughing,” Rivers said. “John Lewis piped in and says, ‘Well, we’re not trying to get all of them. We’re just trying to get them one at a time, and eventually it will be all of them.’ I thought that was just one powerful statement.”
Doc Rivers amazing story about late Civil Rights icon and Congressman John Lewis. pic.twitter.com/UDTQrTxwUM
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 18, 2020
Rivers went on to call Friday a “really sad day for our country.” Lewis, 80, is regarded as a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation. He was later a longtime congressman from Georgia.
“What’s amazing is when you think about right now, some of the stuff that John Lewis was fighting for, we’re still fighting for,” Rivers said. “Voter suppression right now is at an all-time high. It’s amazing how hard – we have a group of people who are trying to get people not to vote. Latinos, Blacks, and young people are the targets. That’s who they’re trying to get not to vote.”
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