Civil rights icon John Lewis’ funeral

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 to his 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.

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.

Pallbearers carry the body of Rep. John Lewis after funeral services at Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 30 in Atlanta.

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 to his 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.

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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 been prouder to see this new generation of activists standing up for freedom and equality,” the 44th president said in Atlanta today during Lewis’ funeral.

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.

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

“Today we witness with our own eyes, police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful 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.

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 is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates who’ve earned their second chance,” Obama said to applause. “By adding polling places. And expanding early voting and making election day a national holiday so if you are somebody who’s working in a factory or you’re a single mom, who’s got to go to her job and doesn’t get time off, you can still cast your ballot. By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington DC, and in Puerto Rico.”

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.

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.” 

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.

“They say that the victors write history, and so I declare today that the history of the 20th century as it is written, John Lewis will stand beside Gandhi and King and Mandela, as one of the great transformative freedom fighters 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 with every fiber in my body I would tell everyone, if you truly want to 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.

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.

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.

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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. 

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 today on the pages of The New York Times: Keep moving. It is so fitting on the day of his service, he leaves us our marching 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 we must all keep ourselves … open to hearing the call of love, the call of service and a call to sacrifice for others.” 

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

“We live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis and his abiding faith in the power of God, in the power of democracy and in the power of love to lift us all to a higher ground. The story that began in Troy isn’t ending here today, nor is the 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 Center and 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:

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