Elijah Lewis: “I rise to pay tribute to David Bloom of NBC News. In the passing of David Bloom, we lost a thoughtful, passionate and…”

“I rise to pay tribute to David Bloom of NBC News. In the passing of David Bloom, we lost a thoughtful, passionate and courageous journalist. Yet he was more than a journalist, more than a face on NBC News. He was a husband, father, colleague, and a wonderful friend. I met David Bloom for the first time several years ago. He was someone who was very special and very eager to learn more about the civil rights movement. David Bloom was born in 1963, the same year Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his historic 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington. David was 2 years old when thousands of men, women, and children marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. I will never forget the day that David called me. He said, Congressman Lewis, this has nothing to do with business. This is personal. He was driving from New York to Washington, listening to a tape of me giving an introduction to the speech Dr. King delivered at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. He talked about how the speech touched him personally. I want to say, Madam Speaker, David Bloom's true greatness was yet to come. He was truly a wonderful, talented, and just smart human being. He had energy and vigor. When he was reporting a story, he did more than talk. He used facial expressions and moved his arm and hands to tell its meaning. David Bloom made an imprint on our hearts and minds. That will never, ever be forgotten.”