Civil rights icon John Lewis’ funeral: Live updates | CNN Politics (2024)

Rep. John Lewis was laid to rest today at South-View Cemetery following a funeral service that took place at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church in Atlanta. An honor guard carried the congressman’s casket tohis final resting place.

As family, colleagues and friends looked on, Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock delivered remarks and prayed for Lewis.

A bugler played taps after a seven-gun salute. The honor guard then folded the American flag that had been draped over the congressman’s casket and presented it to his son, John-Miles Lewis.

Funeral director Darrell Watkins said some words and mourners each placed a long stemmed white rose on the casket. Lewis’ son released a dove into the sky.

Former President Barack Obama delivered a pointed eulogy earlier today at the late congressman’s funeral ceremony that honored the civil rights titan and emphasized the importance of voting. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also spoke at the service, and a letter from former President Jimmy Carter, who did not attend, was read.

Lewis, who served in Congress for more than three decades and was considered a civil rights icon, died nearly two weeks ago at the age of 80.

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Rep. John Lewis’ motorcade has arrived at South-View Cemetery, just south of downtown Atlanta.

South-View Cemetery, chartered in 1886, is one of the oldest cemeteries in the American south without restrictions based on race or creed.

“As the newly-freed Blacks began to build schools to educate their children, hospitals to care for their sick, and businesses to provide goods and services for their communities, they also created a dignified resting place to honor their loved ones,” according to the South-View Cemetery Association.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was laid to rest at South-View before being moved to the Martin Luther King Center. His parents are still interred there.

Rep. John Lewis’ funeral has ended. The congressman was carried out of Ebenezer Baptist Church by an honor guard to a hearse that will take him tohis final resting place at South-View Cemetery, just south of downtown Atlanta.

Mourners inside danced to the recessional song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams — a favorite of the late congressman who was seen dancing to the song in a viral video.

Watch the moment:

Rep. John Lewis often repeated the phrase “Good Trouble” to counsel people on the need for “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

That phrase is now the title of a new song.

BeBe Winans wrote “Good Trouble” in honor of Lewis. BeBe Winans and Marvin Winans performed the song publicly for the first time today at Lewis’ funeral.

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

One person heartened by the sight of thousands of Americans taking to the streets to demand justice following the death of George Floyd was Rep. John Lewis.

Former President Barack Obama spoke with Lewis following Floyd’s death on May 25 and said “he could not have beenprouder to see this newgeneration of activists standingup for freedom and equality,” the 44th president said in Atlanta today during Lewis’ funeral.

“I told him all those youngpeople, John, of every race andevery religion from everybackground and gender and sexualorientation, John, those areyour children.They learned from your example.Even if they didn’t always knowit,” Obama said.

Speaking about Rep. John Lewis’ perseverance in fighting for civil rights and freedom, former President Barack Obama called on the country to be “vigilant against the darker currents” of US history.

“He knew from his own life thatprogress is fragile.That we have to be vigilantagainst the darker currents ofthis country’s history.Of our own history.Where there are whirlpools ofviolence and hatred and despairthat can always rise again,” Obama said.

Without directly mentioning recent incidents in Portland and other cities, Obama called out federal government agents that “usetear gas and batons againstpeaceful demonstrators.”

“Today we witness with our owneyes, police officers kneelingon the necks of Black Americans.George Wallace may be gone, butwe can witness our federalgovernment sending agents to usetear gas and batons againstpeaceful demonstrators,” Obama said.

Former President Barack Obama took the opportunity during his eulogy for Rep. John Lewis to raise awareness about ongoing efforts to stifle voting in the US on the eve of a presidential election.

“Even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run up to an election. It’s going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick,” Obama said to a standing ovation.

Obama said the late congressman “devoted his time on this Earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what’s best in America that we’re seeing circulate right now.”

“We should keep marching.To make it even better.By making sure every American isautomatically registered tovote, including former inmateswho’ve earned their secondchance,” Obama said to applause. “By adding polling places.And expanding early voting andmaking election day a nationalholiday so if you are somebodywho’s working in a factory oryou’re a single mom, who’s gotto go to her job and doesn’t gettime off, you can still castyour ballot.By guaranteeing that everyAmerican citizen has equalrepresentation in ourgovernment, including theAmerican citizens who live inWashington DC, and in PuertoRico.”

Some context: Obama’s remarks came just hours after President Trump floated the idea of delaying November’s presidential election, lending voice to persistent concerns that he will seek to circumvent voting in a contest where he currently trails his opponent by double digits.

Trump has no authority to delay an election, and the Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date for voting. Lawmakers from both parties said almost immediately there was no likelihood the election would be delayed.

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Former President Barack Obama called Congressman John Lewis “an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.”

“Now this country is a constant work in progress,” Obama continued. “We’re born with instructions to form a more perfect union. Explicit in those words is the idea that we’re imperfect. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than any might have thought possible.”

Obama went on to describe Lewis’ work as a young civil rights activist.

“John Lewis, first of the Freedom Riders, head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, youngest speaker at the March on Washington, leader of the march from Selma to Montgomery, member of Congress representing the people of this state and this district for 33 years, mentor to young people — including me, at the time,” Obama said.

“Until his final day on this Earth, he not only embraced that responsibility but he made it his life’s work,” Obama added.

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Former President Barack Obama just started his eulogy for Rep. John Lewis.

“It is a great honor to be back at Ebenezer Baptist Church, at the pulpit of its greatest pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple,” Obama said.

Obama said he owes “a great debt” to Lewis and his “forceful vision of freedom.”

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Speaking at Rep. John Lewis’ Atlanta funeral, niece Sheila Lewis O’Brien described the man she knew as “uncle Robert.”

Behind the courageous man known to the world, she said, was a man that enjoyed family time and “sharing laughter and love.”

“While we knew how important he and his work was to the world, when we were with him, we saw uncle Robert,” O’Brien said “We saw the man that enjoyed spending time with his family, ribbing us about days gone by, catching up on family dynamics, enjoying a good meal, sharing laughter and love.”

“He made time for everyone andwas always picture ready.He did not miss an opportunityfor a photo op or to just take afew moments to talk to hisconstituents, or to those thatrevered him.His love was contagious.And it could be felt each timeyou were in his presence,” O’Brien described.

O’Brien called on attendees and the country to take on Lewis’ baton “that he has now laid down” and to endeavor to get into “good trouble.”

“He truly made an impact, not just on America, but on the world. So today, we celebrate the life of Congressman John Lewis, our uncle Robert, the man who labored, the man who talked, the man who walked, fought, knelt, sat, held hands with both Blacks and Whites, bled, lifted his voice, bent his knees, and was willing to give up his life for a righteous cause,” she said.

“Let’s continue this celebration of life, by taking up the baton that he has now laid down, and endeavor to get into trouble. Good trouble. Necessary trouble. Let’s not give up. Let’s not give in. Let’s never give out,” O’Brien added.

At the funeral service of Rep. John Lewis, Bill Campbell, former Atlanta mayor, remembered his “dear, loving and loyal friend,” and described how the civil rights titan became a hero for individuals fighting multiple causes across the country.

“Virtually every news organization has hailed John as a civil rights hero. But John was a women’s rights hero, a gay rights hero, a senior rights hero, a worker’s hero and immigrant rights hero. John wasn’t on the right side of history, history was on the right side of John Lewis,” Campbell said.

“They say that the victors writehistory, and so I declare todaythat the history of the 20thcentury as it is written, JohnLewis will stand beside Gandhiand King and Mandela, as one ofthe great transformative freedomfighters of human kind,” the former mayor said.

Campbell said that during the last days of his life, Lewis spoke to him about the importance of voting in November, calling it the “most important election ever.”

“And I promised him that withevery fiber in my body I wouldtell everyone, if you truly wantto honor this humble hero, make sure that you vote,” Campbell said.

Jamila Thompson, John Lewis’ deputy chief of staff, said the late congressman was a “peaceful soul” who treated everyone on his staff — from senior staffers to interns — with respect.

“When he came into the office every single day, he would greet every staffer, every fellow, every intern with a ‘good morning, sir,’ ‘good morning, ma’am.’ He would end every request, every successful speech, every successful bill, every mark up with ‘thank you,’ ‘thank you, young brother,’ ‘thank you, sister,’ ‘thank you, my child,’” Thompson said.

She said that when people asked what the congressman was like, she’d say, “He’s just as you may imagine, but better.”

Thompson remembered how the office joked about how much weight they gained after joining the staff because Lewis often brought in lunch — “and far, far too often dessert.”

“In our office, there was the John Lewis 20,” she said, adding that Lewis always wanted his staff to share meals.

“We were a little family,” she said.

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Civil Rights leader Xernona Clayton described how she set John Lewis with his would-be wife, Lillian.

“Lillian was single, and so I decided that Lillian needed a good man, not just the bums who were approaching her,” she said while speaking at Lewis’ funeral. “I wanted her to have someone who really would appreciate her skills and her talent, so I looked around and decided that I liked John. But Lillian didn’t like John, particularly,”

Clayton said Lillian moved too slowly for her tastes. She said she told her, “But Lillian, he’s busy! He’s fighting the evils of the world … I said, ‘Girl, listen. This boy is going places.’”

Clayton said one New Years Eve she invited both Lillian and John to a dinner party. They both assumed they were going to a big party — but when they got to Clayton’s house, there was only room for three.

She said the two hit it off — very slowly.

“And finally, Lillian said, ‘I do like him,’” Clayton said.

Lillian Miles Lewis died in 2012.

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Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, read a letter from Former President Jimmy Carter at the funeral for civil rights icon John Lewis.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush already delivered remarks at the service. Former President Barack Obama is set to give Lewis’ eulogy later during the funeral.

With Carter’s letter, every living former US President is represented at Lewis’ funeral.

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Activist and nonviolence advocate the Rev. James Lawson said Rep. John Lewis’ politics were centered on the basics of American democracy.

“John Lewis practiced not the politics that we call bipartisan. John Lewis practiced the politics that we the people of the US need more desperately than ever before — the politics of the Declaration of Independence, the politics of the preamble to the Constitution of the United States,” Lawson said while speaking at Lewis’ funeral.

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Former President Bill Clinton paid tribute to Rep. John Lewis, outlining his life as a civil rights leader and reiterating Lewis’ call to action for the future.

“He got into a lot of goodtrouble along the way, but let’snot forget he also developed anabsolutely uncanny ability toheal troubled waters,” Clinton said.“When he could have been angryand determined to cancel hisadversaries, he tried to getconverts instead.He thought the open handwas better than the clenchedfist.”

Clinton then referenced today’s op-ed by Lewis in The New York Times, which was sent two days before his death to be published on the day of his funeral. In the essay, Lewis called for Americans to “answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.”

“We got our last letter todayon the pages of The New YorkTimes:Keep moving.It is so fitting on the day ofhis service, he leaves us ourmarching orders.Keep moving,” Clinton said.

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recalled the late John Lewis’ presence in Congress as she spoke at his funeral. He served as the US representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District for more than three decades.

Pelosi said Lewis brought his experience fighting for civil rights to Washington.

“When John Lewis served with us, he wanted us to see the civil rights movement and the rest through his eyes,” she said.

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Former President George W. Bush honored John Lewis in a speech at his funeral, saying that Lewis’ “lesson for us it is that wemust all keep ourselves … open to hearingthe call of love, the call ofservice and a call to sacrificefor others.”

Bush acknowledged that while they may have disagreed at times, Lewis upheld democracy as one of the most important tenets of America.

“John and I had ourdisagreements, of course.But in the America John Lewisfought for and the America Ibelieve in, differences ofopinion are inevitable elementsand evidence of democracy inaction,” Bush said.

“We live in a better and noblercountry today because of JohnLewis and his abiding faith inthe power of God, in the powerof democracy and in the power oflove to lift us all to ahigher ground.The story that began in Troyisn’t ending here today, nor isthe work,” he added.

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Former President George W. Bush started his tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis by recalling the civil rights icon’s childhood, on a farm in Alabama.

Bush described how Lewis preached to the chickens, and tended to their every need. The young Lewis once refused to eat one of the flock.

“Going hungry was his first act of non-violent protest,” Bush joked.

Bush went on to describe Lewis’ character.

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Rev. Dr. Bernice King, CEO of The King Centerand daughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., delivered a prayer at the funeral service of Congressman John Lewis.

Lewis’ funeral service is taking place at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the historic church where MLK served as a co-pastor.

Read her prayer:

“Anoint us with a double portion in this generation to get into good trouble until there is radical reform in policing in our nation. Anoint us a double portion to get into good trouble until voter suppression is no longer a part of our body politic. Anoint us with the double portion to get into good trouble until there is an equitable distribution of wealth in this nation, until everyone has a livable wage and affordable housing and good health care. Anoint us, o God, with a double portion to get into good trouble until all labor is treated with dignity. Grant us, o Father, a double portion to get into good trouble until the school-to-prison pipeline is non-existent and every child gets an equitable education. Grant us, dear god, a double portion to get into good trouble until white supremacy around the world is uprooted and dismantled in all of our policies and everyday practices and behaviors no longer reflect white supremacy. Grant us a double portion, God, to get into good trouble until this nation truly becomes a compassionate nation because as daddy reminded us ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation. Grant us, God, a double portion of anointing to get into good trouble until Black bodies are no longer a threat in this world and Black lives have equitable representation power and influence in every arena. Grant us, finally, Father God, that a double portion to get into good trouble until love becomes the way we live, the way we lead, the way we legislate and until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream, thank you, o God, for this great man who lived among us who now joins the great cloud of freedom fighters and, Lord, we thank you for his life and his legacy, and we will continue to get into good trouble as long as you grant us the breath to do so.”

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A 12-year-old boy John Lewis befriended two years ago read the late congressman’s favorite poem at his service today.

“This is John Lewis’ favorite poem,” Tybre Faw said before reading “Invictus.”

Faw and Lewis met in Selma, Alabama, in March of 2018. CNN was there covering the annual civil rights pilgrimage that Lewis led when reporters saw Tybre standing outside a church where Lewis was attending a service.

He held a sign that read, “Thank you Rep. John Lewis. You have shown me how to have courage.”

Read more about their friendship here.

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Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, evoked Rep. John Lewis’ legacy as he opened the late congressman’s funeral in Atlanta.

“We’re summoned here because in a moment when there are some in high office who are much better at division than vision, who cannot lead us so they speak to divide us, in a moment when there is so much political cynicism and narcissism that masquerades as pate time here lies a true American patriot who risked his life and limb for the hope and the promise of democracy,” the pastor said.

Warnock urged attendees and the country to keep “fighting together” and “voting together.”

“We celebrate JohnLewis.He was wounded for America’stransgressions.Bruised for our inequities, andthe chastisem*nt of his peacewas upon him, and by his stripes we are healed, so let’s remember him today, and let’s recommittomorrow for standing togetherand fighting together and votingtogether and standing up onbehalf of truth andrighteousness together!We’ll get through this together,” Warnock said.

“Let’s save the soul of ourdemocracy together, and let’sworship the lord,” he added.

Civil rights titan: At age 25, Lewis helped lead a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, 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.

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The funeral service for civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis has begun at Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary in Atlanta.

Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, delivered a “Call to Celebration” and welcome remarks.

Others expected to speak at the service are Lewis’ nieces, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, former President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Atlanta mayor William Craig Campbell and former President Barack Obama who will deliver the eulogy.

Funeral attendees began arriving around 10 a.m. ET. Many approached the casket and paid their respects.

The morning began with an honor guard transferring the body of the congressman from the Georgia State Capitol where he was lying in state to a hearse. As the vehicle left the capitol, family and friends walked slowly behind waving and a motorcade brought Lewis to the church.

The service will be followed by Lewis’ interment at South-View Cemetery just south of downtown Atlanta.

Ahead of John Lewis’ funeral, church bells across the country rang their bells at 11 a.m. ET to pay tribute to the civil rights icon.

The churches rang their bells for 80 seconds, in honor of the 80 years of Lewis’ life.

More than 500 churches around the country were expected to be ringing their bells, according to a family spokesperson, including St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Atlanta church where Lewis’ funeral is being held, does not have a bell. Instead, the church observed an 80-second moment of silence

Watch the moment:

The family of congressman John Lewis is now entering Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

The “celebration of life” funeral service for the civil rights icon will begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Lewis’ funeral will be held this morning at the historic church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a co-pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968.

Here’s a look inside the church:

The late Rep.John Lewiscalled for Americans to “answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe” in anessaypublished by The New York Times on the day of his funeral.

The late congressman’s words were sent to the newspaper two days before his death to be published Thursday, the day of hisfuneral.

Lewis, a mantle of the civil rights movement, said he was inspired in his last days by social justice reform and activism that has swept the county in the aftermath of police killings of Black Americans.

“You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society,” he wrote. “Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.”

Lewis continued, “Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor,” adding he was 15 years old at the time of Till’sbrutal death.

“I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars,” he wrote.

Listen to the essay:

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama will attend and participate in Rep. John Lewis’ funeral in Atlanta today, and President Obama will deliver the eulogy.

Rep. Lewis’ funeral will be held this morning at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Churchin Atlanta, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as a co-pastor from 1960 until his assassination in 1968.

Lewis, the son of sharecroppers, survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama. He ultimately became a towering figure of the civil rights movement and a longtime US congressman.

People will gather at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary today for a “celebration of life” honoring the late Rep. John Lewis.

After the service, Lewis will be interred at South-View Cemetery.

There have been memorial events celebrating Lewis’ life and legacy all week. Over the weekend, services were held in Troy, Alabama, his hometown. His body also traveled across Selma’sEdmund Pettus Bridge, where he helped lead the 1965 march for voting rights.

On Monday, Lewis’ body was taken to Washington, DC, where lawmakers paid their final respects. He became the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the US Capitol Rotunda.