Honoring Late Rep. John Lewis: Public Viewing At U.S. Capitol Monday As Body Lies In State

WASHINGTON (CNN/WJZ) -- Congressional lawmakers and the American public will have a chance to pay their respects to the civil rights icon and late congressman, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, this week as his body lies in state at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

Lewis' body arrived at Joint Base Andrews around noon, where a brief ceremony was held before his body was taken to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.

The wait outside the Capitol was silent and somber until the sounds of the motorcade emerged.

"It's just so sad to lose a legend... a role model," Lily Jones said.

"We had the opportunity to realize this is the day when John Lewis was being honored. We were actually finished what we were doing and we thought, 'Well, we need to stay,'" Denny Meyer said.

Those who gathered outside the Capitol said it was a moment in history worth the wait in the heat.

"It means a lot because now we know who helped us walk the streets," Antonio Williams, II, said.

"It's best for them to actually give homage, for the person who has allowed us to be able to take part in an American dream," Anthony Hughes from Maryland said.

An invitation-only arrival ceremony took place at 1:30 p.m. ET on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced last week.

WATCH LIVE | Honoring The Life On Congressman John Lewis

Following the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, a public viewing took place outdoors as a safety precaution during the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of the public were able to pay tribute to the late Georgia Democrat during select times later in the day on Monday and can do so throughout the day Tuesday as his body lies in state at the top of the East Front Steps of the Capitol. The public will be permitted to file past in the Capitol's East Plaza. Members of the public will be asked to adhere to social-distancing and DC mask guidelines.

Lying in state is a form of ceremonial tribute reserved for honoring the lives of the most prominent and distinguished American statesmen and military leaders.

Among those expected to pay their respects to Lewis as he lies in state are former Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence.

Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who replaced the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, was also at the Capitol on Monday.

"John would be waving us off now saying, 'No celebrations.
I'm just a simple man with a fire on my belly wanting to make change,'" Mfume said.

Lewis, who served as the US representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District for more than three decades, was widely seen as a moral conscience of Congress because of his decades-long embodiment of the nonviolent fight for civil rights.

He died at the age of 80 following a six-month battle with cancer, a loss that sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes to his life and legacy across the country.

Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, was a towering figure of the civil rights movement.

Angered by the unfairness of the Jim Crow South, he launched what he called "good trouble" with organized protests and sit-ins. In the early 1960s, he was a Freedom Rider, challenging segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South and in the nation's capital.

At age 25, Lewis helped lead a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where he and other marchers were met by heavily armed state and local police who attacked them with clubs, fracturing Lewis' skull. Images from that "Bloody Sunday" shocked the nation and galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The plans for Lewis' body to lie in state at the US Capitol are one event of many planned in honor and commemoration of the late congressman.

Following a short ceremony outside of Brown Chapel AME Church on Sunday, Lewis' body traveled on a horse-drawn caisson through several blocks of downtown Selma to the Pettus Bridge, where Lewis' flag-draped casket crossed.

A celebration of Lewis' life has been taking place over the course of six days starting over the weekend on July 25 with events in Alabama, Georgia and Washington, DC. Lewis' body will be accompanied by a military honor guard, including when he lies in state in the nation's capital.

Following the events in Washington, DC, Lewis will lie in state in the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday.

On Thursday, there will be a "celebration of life" at Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary in Atlanta, followed by interment at South-View Cemetery.

Due to the pandemic, the family is also encouraging people to organize "John Lewis Virtual Love Events" to watch the events at home via livestream.

Also on Monday, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will offer legislation to rename a House-passed voting rights bill after Lewis.

"Congressman Clyburn is offering legislation to rename H.R. 4 The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act tomorrow. The name change is expected to pass by unanimous consent," Clyburn's spokeswoman, Hope Derrick, said in a Sunday statement.

The House passed the measure in December that would restore a key part of the historic Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. Democrats have pushed the Republican-controlled Senate to take up the legislation following Lewis' death.

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