Voter card brings Lewis, others to tears

WASHINGTON — Rep. John Lewis and several of his Democratic colleagues broke down in tears during a closed-door meeting Tuesday after a historian described the congressman’s reaction when he saw his great-great-grandfather’s voter registration card for the first time.

The House Democratic caucus invited Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr., who heads the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, to preview a new film on reconstruction. Gates spoke about Lewis’ appearance on his PBS show “Finding Your Roots,” presenting him with his ancestor’s voter card from 1867.

During reconstruction, blacks were briefly allowed the benefits of full citizenship, including voting and holding seats in Congress.

Lewis, D-GA., who fought for civil rights in the 1960s, broke down crying in the caucus. His tears made others cry, according to several lawmakers in the room.

“That was the last member of John Lewis’ family to vote until the work that he did crossing that Edmund Pettus Bridge and all the work he did on voting rights,” said caucus Vice Chairwoman Katherine Clark, D-mass., referring to the infamous “Bloody Sunday” civil rights protest in which marchers — including then-organizer Lewis — were beaten by police in Selma, Alabama.

When he introduced Gates, caucus Chairman Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he told the room that 400 years ago this month, “in June of 1619, the first slave ship left the west coast of Africa and arrived in Virginia.”

“It was an opportunity for us to reflect on why we do what we do as Democrats in fighting for the people,” Jeffries said.

House Democrats’ first major bill this session reaffirmed voting rights, which the party worries are being undermined by Republicans. The bill has stalled in the Gop-led Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell, R-KY., has refused to bring it up for a vote.

House leaders are discussing breaking up the legislation to vote again on various parts of the bill to make a political statement.