Former President Barack Obama will speak at a funeral service for former Rep. John Lewis in Atlanta on Thursday. Obama will attend the service along former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
“I first met John when I was in law school, and I told him then that he was one of my heroes. Years later, when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders,” Obama wrote about the Civil Rights Movement icon.
“When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made,” he continued.
Lewis died earlier this month at the age of 80 after a bout with pancreatic cancer. He was well known as one of the most prominent figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis was an original Freedom Rider and spoke at the March On Washington.
Lewis has been honored at the Edmund Pettis Bridge and United States Capitol this week. His Atlanta service will be held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
