Rep. John Lewis Funeral Services In Atlanta, To Lie In State

ATLANTA, GA — The life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis will be honored Wednesday in Atlanta. Services were held last night in the nation’s capitol.

Lewis died on July 17, seven months after he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.

Widely regarded on Capitol Hill as the moral compass of the Democratic Party caucus, Lewis served as Georgia's 5th congressional district representative for more than 30 years. His death marks the passing of the mantle of the civil rights movement from a generation that defeated the discriminatory and segregationist policies of the Jim Crow era in America's Deep South.

Here is the schedule for Lewis memorials and services in Atlanta.

Wednesday

Casket of John Lewis arrives at Dobbins Air Force base

ATLANTA’S SERVANT LEADER

Special Ceremony

Rotunda, Georgia State Capitol
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Rep. John Lewis Lies in State

Rotunda, Georgia State Capitol
3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Open to the public. Attendees will be required to wear face and mouth coverings.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Omega Service

Rotunda, Georgia State Capitol
7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Attendees will be required to wear face and mouth coverings.

Thursday

A Celebration of Life

Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary
11 a.m.

Given COVID-19 precautions, this event is not open to the public. Attendees will be required to wear face and mouth coverings.

Interment
South-View Cemetery

People can post video, photos, songs, or any kind of virtual tribute to Rep. Lewis using #BelovedCommunity or #HumanDignity or leave a written tribute at www.theJohnLewisLegacy.com.

Lewis, the son of sharecroppers who became one of the "Big Six" leaders of the 1960s civil rights movement, spent his life fighting for racial integration.

One of the architects of the watershed 1963 March on Washington, Lewis was the sole surviving keynote speaker at the massive protest where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech.

He is also well known for his participation in the Selma March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, where white law enforcement officers beat Lewis and other peaceful protesters, breaking his skull.

At age 23, he was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington.

"John Lewis has a permanent place in history. He was much more than a politician," said chair of the DeKalb County Democrats Committee, John Jackson. "What he did as a man his early 20s was the lead of SNCC forever changed the trajectory of America. That being said, we must look to his work and realize there is still a lot more to be done. We can let his legacy live on through continuing that work for a more equitable society."

DeKalb Young Democrats President, Cindy Thomas, told Patch that the congressman was a "freedom fighter and truth teller."

"[He] strived to ensure liberty and justice for all Americans. His life legacy is one in serving the people, especially those in the American South. Now it is our job to make sure he did not sacrifice in vain.

"We must level up the legacies of our civil rights American heroes like Congressman John Lewis, with the passing of reparations for Black Americans and dynamic criminal justice reform. We stand on the shoulders of giants and we are blessed to now have him as a guardian angel for the great city of Atlanta. May he rest in peace and power."

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