Civil Rights Legend John Lewis Turned Into A ‘Gnarly’ Crowd Surfer On ‘The Late Show’

U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-Georgia) is a living legend. Sure, he gained recent fame for his participation in the House Democrats’ sit-in for a gun control vote over the summer, but the 76-year-old politician was once an associate of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What’s more, his involvement in the so-called “Big Six” civil rights group helped create the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which King delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. These are serious accolades, so why was Lewis on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Wednesday night?

To crowd surf, of course.

Actually, the congressman was there to promote volume three of his graphic novel March, a series which recalls America’s civil rights history via the lens of comic books. Along with Colin Kaepernick’s recent racially-charged protest making headlines, there was plenty to cover — especially since Lewis felt Americans “should support” the San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s choice to “[act] according to the dictates of his conscience.”

It wasn’t until the very end of the interview that Colbert invited Lewis to partake in The Late Show‘s latest obsession: crowd surfing. After asking the congressman if he “[wanted] to crowd surf,” Lewis enthusiastically accepted the invitation and danced over to the audience with his host. After a brief round of instruction and practice vaults, the civil rights legend leaped onto the first few rows and was carried towards the middle of the crowd — much to the annoyance of his security detail.

Check out the full interview below.

(Via CNN)

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