Memorials Honoring Late Rep. Elijah Cummings Expected To Draw Thousands
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Several memorials are being held this week to remember the late Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Cummings died in Baltimore early Thursday morning at age 68.
He will lie in repose at Morgan State University Wednesday at the Murphy Fine Arts Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A public celebration of his life will follow.
More on the public viewing of Congressman Elijah Cummings and the celebration in honor of his life at Morgan State University Wednesday. @wjz pic.twitter.com/0jmBsT2U3t
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) October 21, 2019
Cummings will then lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Thursday at the National Statuary Hall. There will be a ceremony open to Congress and Cummings' family. The public can pay their respects from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
On Friday morning, his funeral will take place at New Psalmist Baptist Church, Cummings' longtime place of worship. His pastor, Bishop Walter Thomas, will give the eulogy.
The funeral starts at 10 a.m. There will be a viewing at the church at 8 a.m.
National Press Club has more details on Congressman Elijah Cummings' final major public speech in August—where he responded to President Trump. https://t.co/G7rzxSjY3O @wjz pic.twitter.com/VDw6EhQUtM
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) October 21, 2019
"He never gave up, and his faith guided him at a level where he often made the impossible look easy," Bishop Thomas said. "I don't think Elijah would've sat in these later years and said, 'I want to do such and such to be remembered for it.' Oh, no. I think he laid out his legacy as he went along. And that's what mattered to him—doing it in the now and letting history write the record later."
State Senator Jill Carter, whose district includes parts of Baltimore, said Cummings "was a shining example of what a leader should be." She said he counseled her on her last campaign.
'We all wanted to be like him, and we wanted to be with him.' -State Senator @jillpcarter on the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, who mentored many political leaders in Baltimore. @wjz pic.twitter.com/gzLtFHDa6u
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) October 21, 2019
"It was a difficult race for me. He told me, 'Don't listen to the noise, just stay focused on the mission,'" she said.
The governor has not yet issued a proclamation calling for a special election. The date will likely be next year, and the 7th District seat will remain vacant until then.
In lieu of flowers, the Cummings family requests donations are made to the Elijah Cummings Youth Program, Morgan State University, or Howard University.