WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — For more than a week, nationwide protests have continued following the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
Many protests have remained peaceful and powerful, but some have turned violent, with businesses being looted and police cruisers being set on fire.
On Thursday morning, one of the most prominent civil rights leaders in America history spoke to CBS This Morning's Gayle King about his experiences with protesting in the 1960s.
Rep. John Lewis was the youngest person to speak at the 1963 March on Washington and had been beaten and arrested several times at non-violent protests during the Civil Rights Movement.
Lewis condemned Floyd's death at the hands of a white officer, saying the video of the officer's knee on Floyd's neck moved him to tears.
"The way this young man died, watching the video, it made me so sad. It was so painful," Lewis said. "It made me cry. I kept saying to myself, how many more? How many more young black men will be murdered? The madness must stop."
When King asked Lewis for his advice for people on the best way to seek justice, he said he believes "what's taking place now and will continue to take place during the next few days and weeks is going to take us much farther down that road to society at peace with itself."
"We were arrested. We were jailed. We were beaten," Lewis said. "But we didn't hate, and we helped change America."
You can watch the full interview below:
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