Supporters hope John Lewis can lie in state despite virus
When Rep. Elijah Cummings became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol last fall, the public poured into Statuary Hall, a choir from Morgan State University sang, and admirers cried and hugged.
That was before the coronavirus pandemic changed everything.
Now, with the Capitol closed to tourists, and those allowed inside the building encouraged to stay 6 feet apart, congressional leaders are puzzling over how to safely and appropriately honor Rep. John Lewis, a 17-term congressman from Georgia, the senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus and an icon of the civil rights movement who died Friday.
Congress has honored more than 40 individuals by allowing their remains to lie in state in the Capitol, including, most recently, Cummings, D-Md., President George H.W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The occasions have drawn thousands of people, many of them traveling from far away and lining up for hours to pay their last respects.
Many of his supporters believe that such an honor would be fitting for Lewis, who is widely regarded as an American hero.
But congressional leaders have also emphasized the need for lawmakers to set an example for the rest of the country by avoiding large crowds, as a public memorial to Lewis would surely draw. Washington currently bans mass gatherings of more than 50 people, although President Donald Trump ignored that when he hosted a Fourth of July celebration at the White House this month.
On Saturday, it was clear lawmakers had not yet figured out how to balance their desire to honor Lewis within the confines of virus restrictions.
“He will be honored and celebrated in the fashion so deserving of him,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty, DOhio, the first vice chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “He would want us to do it in a safe and healthy way. I think there is enough space for masked-up social distancing to pay our respects.”
Beatty, who said she considered Lewis a “mentor and a friend,” suggested there were other ways to honor Lewis, particularly his commitment to the power of protest.
“Maybe it’s something we do outside?” she continued. “Maybe we march in his honor? John came into existing marching. Why wouldn’t we march behind him, as one way to say ‘Rest in power’?”
Lewis, who was known as the “conscience of the Congress” for his moral authority acquired through years of protest for racial equality — including being beaten and bloodied during voting rights demonstrations in Selma, Alabama, and across the Jim Crow South — announced late last year that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“The Congressional Black Caucus is a family, and we just lost our elder,” said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “We knew he was sick. We knew he was terminally ill. But it doesn’t make a difference. It’s a very painful day for all 55 of us.”
Bass said that Lewis “should be given the maximum recognition,” but it’s “a little too soon” to plan specific honors.
“Right now, you’re caught up in grief and coming to grips that our nation lost a hero,” Bass said.