Martin Luther King III reacts to the death of John Lewis: It 'feels like a part of history has moved to another dimension'
King says the civil rights icon 'personified non- violence every day of his life'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With the passing of civil rights leader John Lewis, D-Ga., it "almost feels like a part of history has moved to another dimension," Martin Luther King III remarked on Saturday.
In an interview on "Cavuto LIVE," King pointed out that his father's field general Rev. C.T. Vivian passed on the same day as Lewis.
JOHN LEWIS, CIVIL RIGHTS ICON, CONGRESSMAN FOR 33 YEARS, DEAD AT 80
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And, I guess, in one sense they wanted to have their last march together. Because Dr. Vivian was 95 years old, stood up to Jim Clark in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Jose Williams and was beaten -- as we just heard once again – profusely," he said. "And, [there are] so many things that John Lewis has done for our nation and world."
Lewis, 80, died Friday night after 33 years serving in the House of Representatives. Doctors diagnosed Lewis with pancreatic cancer late last year.
The congressman's storied fight took him from protests against Jim Crow laws in the South – including the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march known as “Bloody Sunday” -- to a long career representing the state of Georgia.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lewis was only 23 when he joined the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other speakers outside the Lincoln Memorial. According to The Washington Post,.Lewis was the last surviving speaker from the event.
King's father was in his mid-30s at the time and while there was "not a huge gap" between the two of them, King explained to host Neil Cavuto that his father exhibited a more patient approach to their cause -- especially in his rhetoric -- than Lewis who was a young "charged up" firecracker.
In this Feb. 15, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama presents a 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP)
"We see this right now -- that we want to see changes right away. And, the hope is that we will have those changes, but it does take a little bit of time sometimes," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Over the past few weeks, peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers have frequently devolved into chaos and violence.
At the height of the summer, crime rates are up in cities like New York and Chicago.
King said that while America has a history "steeped in violence," he had hoped the focus would remain on the cause of the peaceful protesters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"John Lewis personified non-violence every day of his life. Everything that he did, he tried to do in a non-violent way and was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.," he noted.
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"I'm inspired and millions are inspired by John Lewis for what he did particularly around voting. We have to think about the fact that this is the [56th] anniversary of the Voting Rights Act which does not exist. And, unfortunately, some people still -- their rights are still suppressed," said King. "And, we have to make voting equal and free and fair for everyone."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If we want to do a tribute to John Lewis, it really would be about ensuring that every vote is counted and everyone can vote in our society. I don't think…we're there [yet], but we're going to get there," he concluded.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio, Chad Pergram, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.