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Freedom Rider: Congressman John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis was one of the "Big Six" leaders in the American Civil Rights Movement and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Lewis was 21 years old in 1961, when he became one of thirteen original "freedom riders" - seven whites and six blacks who were determined to ride from Washington, DC, to New Orleans in an integrated fashion, to end racial discrimination in public transportation .

Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas recently spoke with Congressman Lewis , who talks about the significance of the freedom ride and opines about Barack Obama's presidency. Lewis also shares some of the talking points he intends to convey to area students and gives his take on the state of Congress today.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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