KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Black leaders who were friends with Representative John Lewis and Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian remember the powerful pair for tirelessly fighting for justice.
The two prominent Civil Rights leaders both died Friday, July 17. Reverend Harold Middlebrook in Knoxville said he got the call about Vivian at 6 a.m. Friday and the call about Lewis at midnight.
"Both of them were willing to suffer," Middlebrook said. "Both of them seemed to have no fear about death."
More than leaders and role models, Lewis and Vivian were his friends. They marched together during the Civil Rights Movement and continued to stay in touch.
"I've seen both of them beaten," Middlebrook said. "I mean literally beaten to the ground and yet get up tomorrow morning and come back as if nothing has happened, and so I remember that total commitment. I remember the complete dedication to the cause and I remember they did all they could to sacrifice to help others be where they should be."
Former NAACP President Dewey Roberts will always remember seeing history happen before his eyes and the passion the two held for justice.
"We'll use their legacy, their spirit that they have left behind for us to motivate us to move even further," Roberts said.
Vivian visited Knoxville multiple times, commonly for conferences, where he would speak and share his wisdom.
In 2014, Vivian was in Knoxville for the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
"The energy, the belief, they were more confident in what they were doing, so those are the things I learned that I carried on," Roberts said.
Lewis spoke at the grand opening of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton in 2006, with his "good trouble" ideology ever in mind.
"We are one people, we're one family, we're one house, we all live in the same house," Lewis said during his speech. "Stay with the house, walk with the wind, and let the spirit of the Clinton 12 be your guide."
Now, their friends hope the torch and their legacy will be passed on to the next generation, who are fighting for change too.
"The one thing you want to be sure of is that the runner who's coming behind you is equipped with the necessary tools and understanding to keep the race going," Middlebrook said.