Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church will host a celebration of life Thursday for Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a longtime congressman and leader in the civil rights movement.
Lewis died at the age of 80 on July 17 after a battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was the last surviving speaker from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Lewis served in congress for more than three decades, representing Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District.
A memorial service was held for Lewis in his hometown of Troy, Alabama on Saturday. On Sunday, his body was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the site of “Bloody Sunday” where Lewis suffered a fractured skull in 1965. Lewis’ casket was then taken to Washington D.C. where he laid in state at the Capitol Rotunda earlier this week.
Former President Barack Obama will deliver the eulogy for Lewis. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will also attend and are expected to speak.
NPR will provide live coverage of the services for Lewis, beginning at 10:30 a.m. EST.