John Lewis memorial unveiled on the Decatur Square replacing a Confederate obelisk
Hundreds of spectators, including various local, state and federal officials, celebrated the unveiling of the John Lewis memorial on the Decatur Square on Saturday, Aug. 24.
The 12-foot statue replaces a Confederate obelisk that stood on the Square in front of the Historic DeKalb County Courthouse. The obelisk was removed in 2020.
The John Lewis Commemorative Task Force selected Atlanta artist Basil Watson to create the statue in 2022. The task force was formed in 2021 to find the most fitting and appropriate way to honor Lewis’s legacy. It designated the former site of the Confederate obelisk as the memorial site honoring Lewis. DeKalb County and the city of Decatur announced in October 2022 that a monument of Lewis would be placed on the Square.
Rep. John Lewis died in July 2020. He served as Georgia’s Fifth Congressional representative and was first elected in 1987, according to the National Archives.
“Born in 1940 in Alabama, Lewis was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s,” the National Archives website says. “A co-founder and chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis led and helped organize many of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights Movement, including the Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the Selma to Montgomery Marches.”
The John Lewis Memorial Task Force has been led by DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett and former DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis.
“This is one of the most meaningful and memorable moments in my time as mayor,” Garrett told Decaturish. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of this project.”
The unveiling included remarks from Sen. Raphael Warnock, United States Reps. Sanford Bishop (GA-2) and Nikema Williams (GA-5), DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, Davis Johnson, Garrett and Ambassador Andrew Young.
This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.
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