KEY POINTS

  • The funeral for John Lewis is scheduled to begin 11 a.m. Thursday at the Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are scheduled to be in attendance and expected to speak
  • Coverage will be carried live on television and online by most major news outlets

The funeral for Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis is set to take place Thursday, with three former presidents expected to speak on the life of the beloved civil rights icon.

Thursday’s funeral is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary in Atlanta, Georgia. Lewis’ family said the funeral will be closed from the public due to ongoing coronavirus concerns and anyone in attendance will be required to a face mask. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama will be there and are all planning to speak.

A spokesperson for former President Jimmy Carter said he will not be attending the funeral.

“The Carters are not traveling these days but are sending their condolences in writing,” Carter Center spokesperson Soyia Ellison told CNN.

President Trump earlier said he would not attend.

The funeral will be closed to the public, but it will still be available to watch for anyone who wishes to bid their final goodbye to Rep. Lewis. Major outlets including ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, PBS, and C-SPAN will all be providing special live coverage with commentary from their teams present in Atlanta and back in their network’s respective studio. Simulcasts of the coverage will be available to watch on each network’s respective website.

Multiple livestreams of the funeral will also be available to watch on YouTube via channels for the Washington Post and Atlanta’s NBC-affiliate WXIA.

John Lewis spent his life getting into what he liked to call "good trouble" -- the confrontations necessary to improve American democracy
John Lewis. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / CHIP SOMODEVILLA