I John L. Lewis Funeral
have long known that John L. Lewis was an advocate for, and champion of, The Dream described by the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King before the crowd in Washington DC. Lewis was there that day and he too spoke. In many ways, he lead his life in pursuit of those ideals; of making that dream become reality. To the extent that we have approached the partial reality of Dr. King's vision, Lewis was a major instrument of change.
Today, John l. Lewis is again honored in death with a celebration of his life. There is yet another crowd of people sitting to listen to the speakers and singing the songs. All this is as it should be. But at the same time it is not.
Across the United States, there are families who have been denied the closure of grieving the passing of a loved one as funerals are widely forbidden. Families cannot attend sick family members as they lay dying. At times the sick die alone unattended even by medical staff. Then the family may get a heavy can full of . . . Grndma. Maybe that is what is today necessary to save our society from the Corona pandemic.
So why does John L. Lewis get a week's worth of mass-mourning send-offs? How can that be right? How can anyone believe that Lewis himself would advocate for or sanction these mass gatherings in his name when those who are known only to their loved ones cannot also be "celebrated' or grieved.