During a breakfast honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Georgia Congressman John Lewis told Americans to continue speaking out against hate amid his feud with President-elect Donald Trump.
At the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project 24th Annual MLK Scholarship Breakfast in Miami, Florida, Lewis never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but the president-elect’s presence could be felt as the Georgia congressman stressed the importance of fighting for one’s beliefs.
“When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something – to say something – and not be quiet,” Lewis said.
Lewis went on to say that “the scars and stings of racism are deeply embedded in American society.”
He concluded by imploring all of the young people in the room to register to vote as soon as they are able and to participate in the Democratic process. Lewis said the Democratic process is “sacred,” especially because of America’s history of voter disenfranchisement.
This comes after President-elect Donald Trump attacked John Lewis on Twitter multiple times, saying that Lewis does not get anything done and implying that he doesn’t care about his district.
Trump was responding to Lewis’ comment that he does not consider Trump to be a legitimate president and for that reason he will be skipping the inauguration.
“I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate president,” Lewis said. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”
Although Trump allies argue that the president-elect was simply defending himself, it rubbed many the wrong way to see an incoming president, ahead of Martin Luther King Day, say that a man who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and was beaten and arrested by police while fighting for civil rights is “all talk, no action.”
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said on Monday that Congressman Lewis does focus on his district despite what Trump says.
“I think the whole thing is very unfortunate that it’s occurring, but it’s kind of the way things are these days, unfortunately,” Rubio added.