For the purpose of remembering and commemorating the life of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 88, memorial services are scheduled to take place over the course of three days.
Beginning on Monday, January 8, Memorial Services will be held in Dallas to commemorate and mourn Johnson. These services will be followed by a service at her burial on January 10, which will take place in Austin two days later.
“The memorial services of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will provide an opportunity for friends, colleagues, and the community to celebrate and honor the extraordinary life and legacy of her remarkable contributions to public service,” according to a statement released by the family. The memorial events will include tributes, reflections, and remembrances from individuals whose lives were impacted by the commitment and leadership of Congresswoman Johnson. The purpose of these services is to capture the spirit of her ongoing impact on the community as well as the nation.
The Johnson family extended an invitation to anyone who is interested in taking part in the memorial service that will be held in her honor. In order to guarantee that the services are accessible to a wider audience, certain portions of them will be live-streamed. A portion of the livestreams will be made available online by NBC 5.
Both a “trailblazer” and a “icon,” EBJ was a legend.
Eddie Bernice Johnson, a nurse who was the most influential Democrat in the Dallas area, was a pioneer in the field. She was instrumental in bringing hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government to the Dallas area.
Following her accomplishments as the first Black chief mental nurse at Dallas’ Veterans Affairs hospital and the first registered nurse to be elected to Congress, Johnson would go on to serve in the United States House of Representatives for a period of thirty years. In the years that followed, she made history by being the first Black woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. In addition, she was the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus. After continually postponing her retirement, she finally stepped down from her position in January. She was a member of the Texas legislature prior to her election to Congress.
Her “immense courage” was praised by Vice President Joe Biden, who also referred to her as “an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure.”
She was the single most effective lawmaker Dallas has ever had, according to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who asked that flags in the city be flown at half-staff in her honor from January 2-5. Johnson had made this request earlier this week.
Nobody was able to bring extra money from the federal government to our community for infrastructure. There was no one who worked more ardently for our towns, the interests of our inhabitants, and their safety. The mayor of Dallas stated that no one knew how to handle Washington more effectively for the benefit of the city’s residents.
Between the hours of ten in the morning and three in the afternoon on Monday, Johnson will lie in state in the Hall of State at Fair Park. A wake will be conducted that evening at Concord Church, which is located at 6808 Pastor Bailey Drive in Dallas. The wake will begin at 6:30 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m.
Funeral services for Johnson will be place at Concord Church on Tuesday, January 9, at ten o’clock in the morning. For those who are unable to attend in person, it is anticipated that this service will be broadcast live online.
Wednesday at two o’clock in the afternoon, there will be a service held at the graveside in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas, before Johnson is laid to rest.
