Rep. Elijah Cummings will be the first black lawmaker to lie in state in the US Capitol

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• Rep. Elijah Cummings will lie in state on Thursday at the US Capitol building. He will be the first black lawmaker to receive the honor.
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• Rosa Parks, a figure of the civil rights movement, received a similar honor for private citizens when she died in 2005.
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Rep. Elijah Cummings is making history, even in death. On Thursday, the late Maryland representative will lie in state in the US Capitol building, becoming the first black lawmaker to receive the honor.

Rosa Parks was the first black person to lie in honor in the Capitol, an honor given out to just a handful of private citizens ove the years. Lying in state is an honor reserved for government officials and military leaders, according to the Architect of the Capitol.

According to the Associated Press, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional leaders will speak at the arrival ceremony on Thursday, and members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects to Cummings later in the day.

On Friday, Cummings' body will be taken to Baltimore, Maryland for his funeral.

Cummings died last Thursday at the age of 68 from longstanding health issues.

He served as a representative for Maryland's 7th Congressional district for more than 20 years.