Final goodbyes in the nation’s capital
Lawmaker will lie in state in Ga. rotunda
WASHINGTON – After lying in state in the U.S. Capitol for a second day Tuesday, the body of civil rights icon and longtime lawmaker Rep. John Lewis will lie in state in Georgia’s capitol rotunda Wednesday, giving the public time to pay respects before his funeral in Atlanta on Thursday.
Biden remembers Lewis
Former Vice President Joe Biden recalled Tuesday his final conversation with Lewis, who was eager to chat while lying on his deathbed.
“Instead of answering my concerns about him, he asked about me. He asked about us,” Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, about his proposals for economic equity for racial minorities. “He asked that we stay focused on the work left undone, to heal this nation. To remain undaunted by the public health crisis and the economic crisis that have taken the blinders off in this crisis and showed the systemic racism for what it is that plagues this nation.”
Standing in line for Lewis
Reta Cosby, a 68year-old from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was the first in the line of hundreds who came to pay their respects. She had arrived by noon
Monday, when the sun was beaming and the temperature was in the 90s. Still,
Cosby said she’d woken up that morning and felt in her spirit that she had to come. By around 6:30 p.m., she led the line and walked up to the building to view the casket atop the steps.
“You don’t have the opportunity to see these icons,’’ said
Cosby, who years ago joined civil rights marches in Oklahoma. “I just felt this kindred bond. … It was important for me to be here.”
Because of cautions about the coronavirus, visitors could only walk up to the bottom of the Capitol’s East Front steps to say their goodbyes. There were people of all ages and races. Some pushed walkers. Some came in suits.
Terrence Jones, 37, a Birmingham native, said he met Lewis years ago in Atlanta and appreciated that they both had roots in the South.
“He was a very gracious guy,’’ said Jones, adding that the visit was a historic moment.
“You don’t have the opportunity to see these icons. I just felt this kindred bond… It was important for me to be here.” Reta Cosby
A 68-year-old from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was the first in the line of hundreds who came to pay their respects
Lawmakers try to build on work
As the public services continue, Black lawmakers are calling on Congress to honor Lewis’ legacy by supporting legislation that would restore a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., said a bipartisan group of lawmakers should be designated to negotiate details.
“If you want to honor his legacy, pick a `gang of eight’ and let’s go to work,” said Richmond, former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “If they’re serious. My gut tells me they’re not.”
In December, with Lewis presiding over the vote, the Democratic-led House passed voting rights legislation that has not been taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The bill, which the House agreed Monday to name after Lewis, would amend the 1965 law to create a new way of measuring if states require oversight for violating minority voting rights.
In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that law’s original formula was unconstitutional.