Jeff Hutchens/Getty ImagesBy LIBBY CATHEY, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — The late Rep. John Lewis — a civil rights and voting rights icon known as the “conscience of the U.S. Congress” — crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, for a final time this weekend.
It was part of a six-day celebration of life paying tribute to his legacy, which began on Saturday in his hometown of Troy, Alabama. Over the next week, Lewis will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, Alabama State Capitol and Georgia State Capitol.
A public service celebrating “The Boy from Troy” took place Saturday morning at Troy University. Saturday evening, Lewis was honored in a private ceremony at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, ahead of another public viewing.
On Sunday morning, the procession across the bridge took place in Selma where Lewis and other voting rights demonstrators were beaten 55 years ago on “Bloody Sunday.” Sunday’s march from Brown Chapel to the Edmund Pettus Bridge was titled “#Good Trouble: Courage, Sacrifice & the Long March for Freedom.”
Lewis was then taken to lie in state at the Alabama State Capitol following the procession.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Thursday that Lewis will be honored in a private, invitation-only ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday at 1:30 p.m., followed by an unprecedented public viewing taking place outside, as opposed to inside, the Capitol building due to coronavirus concerns.
On Monday, a procession through Washington will shut down several streets from about 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. as Lewis’ body is transported to the Capitol. The city listed what streets will be closed and advised motorists of an anticipated increase in pedestrian traffic.
Lewis will lie in state at the top of the east front steps of the U.S. Capitol for the public viewing, and the public will file past on the east plaza. The public viewing take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Masks are required and social distancing will be enforced.
The Georgia Democrat will be the second Black lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol, a tribute reserved for the most revered Americans, following the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who died last October.
On Wednesday, Lewis will lie in state at the Georgia State Capitol.
Lewis will be laid to rest on Thursday at South View Cemetery in Atlanta following a private funeral at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once led. A military honor guard will accompany Lewis’ body during all the events.
Citing coronavirus precautions, Lewis’ family asked members of the public not travel from across the country to pay their respects. They instead have suggested people pay tribute online using the hashtags #BelovedCommunity and #HumanDignity. The ceremonies will be live-streamed on multiple platforms, including ABC News Live.
His family also encouraged the public to tie a blue or purple ribbon on their front doors or in their yards to commemorate Lewis’ life.
Lewis, 80, died last Friday, after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer. The civil rights icon served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives serving the 5th Congressional District of Georgia.
His final public appearance was a visit on to the Black Lives Matter Plaza across from the White House on June 7.
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