John Lewis, a towering figure in civil rights, will be memorialized often in the next week.
Some reruns were already planned. The documentary “John Lewis: Get In the Way” is at pbs.org and on stations’ websites; “Legends Who Paved the Way” – a gala with Lewis and others – reruns at 11 a.m. Sunday (July 26) on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
That’s the morning when a procession will see Lewis, for one final time, cross Selma, Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge – where he was beaten fiercely by police during a 1965 march. (He’s shown here at a reunion walk across the bridge.)
Lewis was a congressman for 33 years, until his death (of cancer, at 80) on July 17. He will be flown to Washington, D.C., where there will be a Capitol ceremony Monday, followed by two days of public viewing.
(Due to COVID concerns, all indoor events will be invitation-only. The viewing will be outdoors, with masks and social-distancing requiredl people are asked not to travel to to the event.)
He will then be flown to Atlanta, where on Thursday there will be a funeral (11 a.m., Ebenezer Baptist Church) and burial.
Coverage will be intensive. As an example, CBS will cover everything on its CBSN digital news network (as will cable news channels and C-SPAN). And on its broadcast network, CBS plans:
– Elaborate coverage Sunday, with a Jane Pauley tribute on “CBS News Sunday Morning” at 9 a.m. ET, then coverage of the bridge crossing on “Face the Nation” at 10:30 and beyond. Also, a summary will be on the evening news.
– Another Lewis tribute on “CBS This Morning,” from 7-9 a.m. Monday, led by Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil. Also, live coverage of the Capitol ceremony that morning.
– Live coverage of the funeral, at 11 a.m. Thursday.