A 12-foot-tall bronze statue of the late civil rights leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis has been erected in Decatur, Georgia, replacing a contentious Confederate monument that stood in the town square for over a century until its dismantling in 2020. Internationally acclaimed sculptor Basil Watson oversaw the installation process, expressing excitement at seeing the statue in place and highlighting Lewis’s significance and the monument’s symbolic replacement.
John Lewis, renowned for his pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, advocated for creating “good trouble” in the pursuit of essential causes. Activists in DeKalb County, where the Confederate monument previously stood, had been calling for its removal, inspired by Lewis’s call for civil disobedience in the face of injustice.
In 2020, the Confederate obelisk was removed amidst public outcry and demands for its dismantling. The monument, erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, was a focal point for protests following events like the Charlottesville rally and George Floyd’s death, sparking nationwide discussions on racial inequality and police brutality.
Advocacy groups including the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and Hate Free Decatur had long campaigned for the monument’s removal due to its divisive and controversial nature. Eventually, the city of Decatur sought legal action to have the monument taken down, citing public safety concerns arising from vandalism and graffiti defacing the structure.
The statue of John Lewis is scheduled for an official unveiling on August 24th, serving as a tribute to his legacy and a beacon of hope and progress in the ongoing fight for equality and justice.