WASHINGTON – John Lewis will lie in state in the Capitol for a second day Tuesday, giving the public time to pay respects to the civil rights icon and longtime lawmaker before he's laid to rest in Georgia.
Public viewing will continue from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Lewis will lie in state in Georgia's capitol rotunda Wednesday before his funeral in Atlanta on Thursday.
After a service in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Monday, Lewis' casket was taken to the East Front Portico for public viewing.
Reta Cosby, a 68-year-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.
Others like Anise Jenkins, Joyce Robinson-Paul and Emma P. Ward appreciated Lewis’ support for D.C. statehood so they came to pay their respects.
“If he could have, he would have gotten us statehood,’’ said Robinson-Paul.
Lawmakers try to continue Lewis' 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.
Some Republicans have argued that oversight is no longer needed.
Democrats have made voting rights a priority. One of the first measures they passed after taking control of the House in the 2018 election would expand voting rights.
Rep. Marcia Fudge, the Ohio Democrat who heads a House subcommittee on elections, is holding a hearing Tuesday on voting rights in the U.S. territories.
She said lawmakers who are praising Lewis, need to "to put up or shut up."
"They can’t continue to give lip service and not support what somebody like John stood for," she said.
More: Activists working in John Lewis' shadow warn about voter suppression ahead of November vote
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