ATLANTA John Lewis was mourned, revered and celebrated as an American hero on Thursday at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, a sacred place for many of those who helped to shape civil rights history.
Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America, Lewis said of his run-ins with the law.
In a sense, he was my leader.King was the person who, more than any other, continued to influence my life, who made me who I was," Lewis wrote in his 1998 autobiography, Walking with the Wind."
Shortly before he died, Lewis wrote an essay for The New York Times and asked that it be published on the day of his funeral.
In the piece published Thursday, Lewis recalled the teachings of King:He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice," Lewis wrote.