The body of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis arrived at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday to lie in state, following a series of memorials this weekend that included a final trip across Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
The big picture: Lewis is the first Black lawmaker to receive the honor. Because the Capitol is closed to the public due to the coronavirus, Lewis will lie in state for just a few hours after an invitation-only ceremony is held for lawmakers. A public viewing will be held on the Capitol steps.
- Vice President Mike Pence and former Vice President Joe Biden are set to attend, but President Trump, who clashed with Lewis in recent years, said he will not be making an appearance.
- On his way to the Capitol, the hearse carrying Lewis' remains made stops at the Lincoln Memorial and the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House.
Worth noting: The late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) was the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol, but he was honored in Statuary Hall and not in the Rotunda, per the New York Times.
What they're saying:
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): "When John made his speech 57 years ago, he was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington program. How fitting it is that in the final days of his life, he summoned the strength to acknowledge the young people peacefully protesting in the same spirit of that march, taking up the unfinished work of racial justice. Helping complete the journey begun more than 55 years ago."
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): "History only bent toward what's right because people like John paid the price to help bend it. ... John Lewis lived and worked with urgency because the task was urgent. But even though the world around him gave him every cause for bitterness, he stubbornly treated everyone with respect and love."
Go deeper: Listen to a recorded speech from Lewis played at his memorial service
In photos
Rep. John Lewis’ hearse pauses at Black Lives Matter Plaza. A powerful moment: pic.twitter.com/L1FxrYsIDo
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) July 27, 2020
U.S. Capitol Rotunda for casket arrival of President George H.W. Bush (12/3/18) and today for Rep. John Lewis (social distancing). pic.twitter.com/wpeBkZCv1L
— Jeremy Art (@cspanJeremy) July 27, 2020
Joe and Jill Biden pay their respects to the late Rep. John Lewis as he lays in state in the Capitol Rotunda pic.twitter.com/c1w2U3TEkU
— Axios (@axios) July 27, 2020
