Plans have been announced to have Rep. Elijah E. Cummings to lie in state next Thursday, October 24th. It will take place in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. Cummings will be the first African American member of Congress to receive this honor.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office says, “A formal ceremony will be held Thursday morning, which will be open to Members of Congress, the Cummings family and invited guests. Following the memorial service, there will be a public viewing.”
And the Baltimore Sun writes that his funeral will be held “Friday — at the church where he worshiped for nearly 40 years, New Psalmist Baptist Church, a church spokeswoman announced.”
Friday, the Washington Post published a tribute to Cummings written by Pelosi. In it, she called him “a peacemaker” and “a bridge-builder.” Here are a couple of passages from the piece:
In the House, Elijah was our North Star. He was a leader of towering character and integrity, who pushed the Congress and country always to rise to a higher purpose, reminding us why we are here. As he said whenever he saw that we were not living up to our Founders’ vision for America and meeting the needs of our children for the future: “We are better than this.”
Elijah’s leadership truly strengthened America, and his life and legacy will continue to inspire us all to go forth in a way that is worthy of the oath of office that we take to the Constitution, worthy of the vision of our Founders and worthy of the aspirations of our children.