MEMORIAL SERVICES PLANNED FOR JIMMY CARTER’S DEATH AT 100
Memorial services for former President Jimmy Carter are planned to take place over several days in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, following his death on Sunday at the age of 100.
President Joe Biden has declared January 9 as a national day of mourning for Carter, and federal government executive departments and agencies will be closed on this day in his honor. The state funeral, which is being planned by Biden in collaboration with the Defense Department, is set to take place in Washington, D.C.
The state funeral is a traditionally long and dignified ceremony that usually lasts from seven to ten days and allows citizens to participate and pay respects. It includes three stages, including ceremonies held in the state where the president lived, Washington, D.C., and in the state where they have decided to be buried.
Carter is expected to lie in repose on January 4-5 at the Carter Center, a humanitarian organization in Atlanta founded by the Carter family, and then be transported to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda for people to visit and pay respects.
The final stage of the funeral will be a private ceremony in Plains, Georgia, where Carter will be buried next to his wife Rosalynn. Carter’s fellow world leaders, including former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump, and their spouses are expected to attend the funeral ceremony.
Biden has also ordered the flags on government buildings to be flown at half-staff for the next 30 days, and again on January 20, during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Carter was the 39th President of the United States, who worked tirelessly on human rights and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In a statement released by the White House, Carter’s legacy as a champion for justice, a voice for marginalized communities, and a symbol of peace and moral leadership was commemorated.