The body of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) arrived Monday at the US Capitol Building to lie in state, moments after a motorcade procession took the remains of the civil rights icon through numerous historical landmarks in Washington, DC.
With the Capitol closed to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lewis’ body will lie in state for only a few hours under the Capitol dome for an invitation-only ceremony reserved exclusively for congressional lawmakers.
The flag-draped casket of late Rep. John Lewis, (D-GA), is carried by a joint services military honor guard to the hearse, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 27, 2020.
Following the ceremony, the casket of the late congressman will be moved to the Capitol steps for a public viewing from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time, with strict social distancing measures enforced by officials. A second viewing opportunity will be held for the public on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.
A U.S. military honor guard carries the casket of civil rights pioneer and longtime U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who died July 17, up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to lie in state inside the Rotunda in Washington, U.S., July 27, 2020.
While there are many preventative measures in place to combat the novel coronavirus, Lewis’ family has still urged out-of-state individuals against traveling to the nation’s capital and instead asked them to post virtual tributes on social media with either the “#BelovedCommunity” or “#HumanDignity” hashtag.
Motorcade procession takes body of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) through several historical landmarks in Washington, DC, including the Martin Luther King Kr. Memorial.
A hearse with the flag-draped casket of late Rep. John Lewis, (D-GA), pauses in front of the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, U.S., July 27, 2020.
The previous week, when plans were still being arranged for Lewis’ procession, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) remarked that “if anybody deserves to lie in state here at the Capitol, it’s John.”
Over the weekend, the late civil rights leader crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, for the final time aboard a horse-drawn carriage.
On March 7, 1965, Lewis and hundreds of other peaceful protesters were viciously attacked by police at the bridge, and he often revisited the area in the years that followed.
Lewis died at the age of 80 on July 17 after battling pancreatic cancer. Lewis’ body will be interred Thursday at the South-View Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, after laying in state at the Georgia Capitol Rotunda.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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