Visitors from across the country joined thousands of local mourners who honored Congresswoman Julia Carson during two days of farewell events.
On Dec. 21 hundreds of individuals followed the horse-drawn caisson that carried her flag-covered casket from the front of her home at 25th and Park Avenue to the Indiana Statehouse, where it was received by Gov. Mitch Daniels, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and state Rep. Bill Crawford.
Hundreds of mourners arrived at the statehouse to pay their respects to Carson as she lay in state inside the Statehouse Rotunda, the first African-American and first woman to receive such an honor. During the evening family, friends and political colleagues spoke during a Celebration of Life gathering.
“We wanted Julia, but heaven deserves her,” said Rev. Jesse Jackson. “Tonight as I looked at her in repose, no more pain or tears. Now she can take off the oxygen tank and walk around heaven all day.”
Crawford, who was encouraged by Carson to make his first run for office, described her as his sister, friend and leader.
“Julia never let ambition trump principal,” he stated.
On Saturday many more people packed the 2,500-seat main campus of Eastern Star Church for the funeral service (or “homegoing” celebration) of the congresswoman, who died on Dec. 15 at age 69 following a battle with lung cancer.
Dozens of dignitaries spoke in honor and memory of Carson, including Daniels, U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar, former Sen. Birch Bayh, former U.S. Rep. Andrew Jacobs Jr., talk show host Tavis Smiley and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, among numerous others.
Many agreed that the service was presented in a style Carson herself would have approved: Upbeat with plenty of laughs and warm memories, along with rousing calls to continue efforts in the community to serve those in need.
Mayor Bart Peterson, remembering Carson’s sense of humor, recalled how he went to Wisconsin to see a Green Bay Packers game shortly before flying to Washington to get her endorsement for his 1999 campaign. He made the “mistake” of telling Carson about the game.
“For the next 10 years she accused me of being a closet Packers fan,” he said as people in attendance laughed. “Even as we celebrated the Colts Super Bowl victory this year unbeknownst to all of you I was in mortal fear that she was going to tell a public gathering that I was really a Packers fan.”
Farrakhan called Carson a servant of the poor who remained true to the command of Jesus Christ to look out for “the least of these,” or those in need.
“Sister Julia not just praised him but followed him as a disciple,” he said. “Her greatest accomplishment is her discipleship of Jesus Christ.”
Smiley said it’s important to remember the guidelines that Carson’s life provided for those who knew her as well as individuals who seek to follow her into public office.
“You can’t lead people if you don’t love people, and you can’t save people if you don’t serve people,” he said. “What is the depth of your love and the quality of your service? Julia Carson understood that it’s not about the love of power, but the power of love.”
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the best way for people to carry on Carson’s will is to “get up, turn off that television, work in the church, donate, volunteer and give back. This angel has left you but there are still angels all over this kingdom who can build and grow our communities.”
Evan Bayh said Carson rose to one of the highest offices in the land but never forgot where she came from and who she worked for. He reminded everyone that the service was not just about Carson.
“It’s also about us and whether we will dedicate ourselves to ensuring that this is not just a single day of memorial for Julia Carson, but whether we learn the lessons of her life and incorporate them in our own so that each of us will be a living testimony to her life.”
Eastern Star Church Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr. hosted the service, and the eulogy was delivered by Carson’s pastor, Rev. Jonathan Bailey of Tabernacle Baptist Church.
After the service a gold hearse, followed by a line of limousines and cars, carried Carson to her final resting place. Many citizens lined the streets as the procession cruised to Crown Hill Cemetery.
Carson was buried following a brief graveside ceremony. As mourners quietly departed the picturesque knoll tucked under pine trees the sun began to shine through the clouds, as if the congresswoman was letting them know that everything will be all right.
