Thousands gather to mourn, celebrate, journalist Gwen Ifill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of mourners — including first lady Michelle Obama — remembered and celebrated veteran Washington journalist Gwen Ifill on Saturday, recalling her as a standard bearer, cherished friend, devoted mentor and woman of abiding faith.

Will you normalize that which is anything but? Holder asked in a veiled reference to the incoming administration of Donald Trump.

The service, held at the historic Metropolitan A.M.E. Church — where Ifill was a longtime member — was also a grand display of her faith and roots as the daughter of Caribbean immigrants whose father was a leader of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

John Dickerson, host of CBS' "Face the Nation" who joined Ifill as a regular panelist on "Washington Week," said Ifill "wore her grace like a garment," but added her infectious laugh came with a withering scowl.

The pews were filled with journalists, politicians, her mentees, family and friends, including civil rights attorney Vernon Jordan, interim Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, veteran journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, New York Times columnist David Brooks, former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw, Donald Trump surrogate Omarosa Manigault, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Sherrilynn Ifill, the journalist's younger cousin.