Cummings To Be First African-American Lawmaker To Lie In State At Capitol

Politician and Maryland congressional representative Elijah Cummings at his campaign headquarters, 1988. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Thousands are expected to pay their respects to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Thursday as he becomes the first African-American lawmaker to lie in state at the Capitol.

Per Politico, his casket will also be placed near a statue of Rosa Parks just feet away from a bust of Jefferson Davis, symbolic of the race battles Cummings devoted much of his life to fighting.

Many high profile Democrats are slated to speak, including former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), an unexpectedly close friend of Cummings despite the men’s polar opposite politics, will also speak.

His funeral will be held at his church in Baltimore on Friday. The legendary congressman died on October 17 of longstanding health problems.

Latest News
62
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Cummings told Trump in a phone call shortly before his passing that Trump was the greatest President that has ever served. Really. Everyone knows it.

  2. Thurgood Marshall didnt lie in state? Perhaps at the Supreme Court

  3. I thought the exact same thing and looked it up. He lay in repose at the Supreme Court.

  4. I also just noticed the word “Rep” (I think it was just edited actually)

  5. He’s only the second African American to lay in state/honor. The first was Rosa Parks in 2005.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

56 more replies

Participants

Avatar for discobot Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for ghost Avatar for marincousa Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for scottnatlanta Avatar for cervantes Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for pine Avatar for darrtown Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for jinnj Avatar for jamsie12b Avatar for bodie1 Avatar for bankerpup Avatar for lisaaug Avatar for michaelryerson Avatar for nycabj Avatar for katscherger Avatar for ohcomeonnow Avatar for zillacop Avatar for filmknight Avatar for Swan

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: