I spent the summer of 2001 in DC interning for Chuck Schumer. 

One morning, as part of a lecture series, John Lewis spoke to hundreds of us Hill interns. I was mesmerized by his story, many details of which I had not known previously. 

I was so struck by hearing him speak, in fact, that I left our Senate office that afternoon and walked across the Capitol to his House office. 

Upon arrival, I explained to a front office staffer there that I had his heard boss speak that morning, and asked if I might have a moment to shake his hand.  

The staffer responded by directing me into their conference room and showing me a short video about Lewis’ life. He even brought me a glass of water. 

After the video ended, John Lewis himself walked in and proceeded to spend a few minutes alone with me. He did shake my hand; that would have been more than enough. 

But he also talked to me about his life, asked me about mine, and walked me around the conference room, pointing out various pictures on the walls from his time in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Two photos in particular grabbed his attention on that tour of history and have thus stuck with me. 

One was a photo of him with Bobby Kennedy. He paused for a moment to reflect on how different the country would have been if Kennedy had lived to be elected president in ‘68. 

The other was a sign saying that Martin Luther King Day should be a day ON, not a day OFF. 

He shook my hand again, thanked me for coming, and left.

Those were five of the most extraordinary moments of my life and they’ll never leave me.  

A giant of history, the conscience of a country, he gave me—a nobody—his time simply because I’d asked, and because he was a good and decent and extraordinary man. 

A giant of history, the conscience of a country, he gave me—a nobody—his time simply because I’d asked, and because he was a good and decent and extraordinary man. 

There will be many well-deserved recognitions in the days and weeks ahead; included among them, I hope, is a bridge in Selma that needs a new name.  

But I think the best tribute we can make is to finally—finally—live up to the ideals and truths and principles to which he devoted and gave his life.  

In other words: let’s keep making good trouble.