It was a Saturday in March of 1958. John Lewis woke up with his bags packed and he went to the bus station. That day it was raining outside. The bus ride from Troy to Montgomery was only 50 miles. On the way there, the bus hit a slick patch and almost ran off the road. It careened sideways, narrowly missing a white Cadillac with license plate number I260PB7 getting about 20 miles per gallon. John Lewis arrived in Montgomery and was greeted by a sharp, young boy in a black tailored suit. His name was Fred Gray, a new lawyer, who had represented people such as Rosa Parks and Dr. King. It had stopped raining when Lewis arrived. It was a good sing.

Lewis was then taken through the beautiful city of Montgomery to the First Baptist Church. He got out of the car slowly, but was then quickly rushed into the building. He was nervous, sweat was dripping from his face and he couldn’t even talk. He sat down in the church office, choosing a seat in the corner of the room. A knock on the door sounded and Dr. King and Reverent Abernathy walked in. Mr. Lewis was shaking and wide-eyed. Dr. King asked him his named. Lewis replied saying, “Dr. King, I am John Robert Lewis.”