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John Lewis Memorial

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John Lewis Memorial
Map
Interactive map of John Lewis Memorial
LocationDeKalb County Courthouse, Decatur, Georgia, United States
Coordinates33°46′29.5″N 84°17′47.5″W / 33.774861°N 84.296528°W / 33.774861; -84.296528
DesignerBasil Watson
TypeStatue
MaterialBronze (statue)
Granite (pedestal)
HeightStatue: 12 feet (3.7 m)
Pedestal: 4 feet (1.2 m)
Dedicated dateAugust 24, 2024
Dedicated toJohn Lewis

The John Lewis Memorial (also known as Congressman John Lewis or Empathy) is a monument on the grounds of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Georgia, United States. The monument was designed by sculptor Basil Watson and consists of a bronze statue of civil rights activist and politician John Lewis atop a granite pedestal. It was dedicated in 2024 and stands in the former location of the DeKalb County Confederate Monument, which had been removed in 2020.

Design

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The monument consists of a bronze statue of John Lewis atop a granite pedestal.[1][2] The statue is 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall, while the pedestal has a height of 4 ft (1.2 m).[2][3][4][note 1] Lewis is standing and has his hands placed over his heart.[5][6] He is facing upwards, with his eyes closed.[7]

History

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Background and creation

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John Lewis in 2006

John Lewis was an American politician and civil rights activist.[6] In the 1960s, he served as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in several major events of the civil rights movement, including the Freedom Riders project, the March on Washington, and the Selma to Montgomery marches.[6][8] As a politician, Lewis, a member of the Democratic Party, served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until 2020.[6][8] In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[6][9] He died in July 2020.[10][11]

Following his death, attorney and politician Burrell Ellis of DeKalb County, Georgia—located within Lewis's former congressional district[11]—worked to create a 27-member task force, co-chaired by Ellis and Mayor Patti Garrett of Decatur, Georgia, to create a memorial in his honor.[3] On January 26, 2021, the county commission for DeKalb County voted in favor of erecting a statue of Lewis in Decatur Square, on the grounds of the county courthouse.[12] It would be erected on the spot of the DeKalb County Confederate Monument, which had been removed in June 2020.[6][8] There had been efforts to remove the monument for several years, with multiple protests and acts of vandalism, prompting a local judge to order its removal.[13][14] In June 2021, the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans attempted to have the monument re-erected at the site, though this did not come to fruition.[14] By 2024, the area, known as Decatur Square, had become a public plaza surrounded by several restaurants and shops.[9]

The county government solicited designs from sculptors,[3] and in December 2022, the task force announced that sculptor Basil Watson had won the commission.[15] Watson was based in Metro Atlanta, operating a studio in Lawrenceville, Georgia,[4] and had designed several other works of public art in the area,[16] including Hope Moving Forward, a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. near Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[15][17] Watson, who had previously met Lewis in 2005,[4] said that he had been an admirer of his and had created a portrait of the man prior to his selection as the monument's designer.[2]

In late 2022, the task force said that they planned to have the monument erected by 2024.[15] It would be one of several memorials for Lewis in Metro Atlanta,[18] including a statue of Lewis that was unveiled in Atlanta's Rodney Cook Sr. Park in 2021.[5][4] In total, the task force raised approximately $700,000 (equivalent to $718,000 in 2025) for the project.[3]

Dedication

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The statue was erected in front of the county courthouse, on the former site of the DeKalb County Confederate Monument (pictured 2019).

The monument, variously known as the John Lewis Memorial,[8] Empathy,[7][18] and Congressman John Lewis,[19] was installed outside of the courthouse on August 16, 2024.[20][21] It was dedicated several days later on August 24,[9][19] with an unveiling ceremony that began at 11 a.m.[21] The event attracted several hundred spectators,[3] including several of Lewis's relatives.[19] Radio personality Rashad Richey served as the master of ceremonies, while actress Jennifer Holliday led the crowd in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing".[3] The Reverend Doctor Jamal Harrison Bryant performed an invocation at the ceremony.[22]

Several politicians participated in the event, with comments given by former United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, United States senator Raphael Warnock, representatives Sanford Bishop and Nikema Williams, DeKalb County chief executive officer Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County commissioner Davis Johnson, and Mayor Garrett.[3] Additional statements were given by civil rights activist Xernona Clayton and Michael Collins, who had served as Lewis's chief of staff.[3]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ While multiple sources give the pedestal's height as four feet, one source mentions that it is 6 ft (1.8 m).[1]

References

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  1. 1 2 Hudson, LaShawn (November 14, 2024). "Renowned sculptor Basil Watson on creating the John Lewis Memorial and the healing power of Black stories". WABE. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Silvera, Janet (September 22, 2024). "A legacy cast in bronze". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. ISSN 0259-0336. OCLC 18321104. Archived from the original on July 27, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Muhammad, Anisah (August 24, 2024). "DeKalb County unveils John Lewis statue on Decatur Square". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on March 7, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Suggs, Ernie (December 29, 2022). "John Lewis statue to be placed where Confederate monument once stood". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Corson, Pete (September 12, 2024). "John Lewis left footprints across metro Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Heuer, Mike (August 24, 2024). "Rep. John Lewis statue replaces Confederate memorial in Georgia". United Press International. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Calder, Jeff (October 1, 2024). "John Lewis' bio is a 'tremendous' look back at the life of a hero". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Hurley, Graham (August 24, 2024). "A statue honoring John Lewis replaces former Confederate monument in Georgia". CNN. Contributions from Devon M. Sayers. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Abdur-Rahman, Nahlah (August 25, 2024). "John Lewis Honored with Statue That Replaces Confederate Monument in Georgia". Black Enterprise. New York City. ISSN 0006-4165. OCLC 1257165402. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hernandez, Joe (August 18, 2024). "A statue honoring John Lewis will replace a former Confederate monument in Georgia". WSKG-FM. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  11. 1 2 Holpuch, Amanda (August 18, 2024). "Statue of John Lewis Replaces a Confederate Memorial in Georgia". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ Araújo, Keka (January 31, 2021). "Late Civil Rights Leader Rep. John Lewis to Be Honored with a Statue in DeKalb County, Georgia". Black Enterprise. New York City. ISSN 0006-4165. OCLC 1257165402. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  13. ↑ Harris, Ron (August 16, 2024). "Bronze statue of John Lewis replaces more than 100-year-old Confederate monument". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Corson, Pete (April 3, 2025). "PHOTOS: Confederate memorials in metro Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on July 26, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Sayers, Devon M. (December 30, 2022). "Statue of late civil rights icon John Lewis will be erected in his congressional district where a confederate monument once stood". CNN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  16. ↑ Suggs, Ernie (November 1, 2024). "Jamaicans in Georgia embrace Kamala Harris as 'part of our diaspora'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  17. ↑ Clanton, Nancy (February 16, 2023). "Meet Basil Watson, Gwinnett sculptor who created MLK statue in Atlanta, at Hudgens Center". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Torpy, Bill (August 28, 2024). "OPINION: The history behind the newest John Lewis monument". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on April 20, 2026. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 "Basil Watson, FNSS". National Sculpture Society. Archived from the original on January 12, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  20. ↑ Harris, Ron (August 16, 2024). "John Lewis statue replacing Confederate monument in Georgia city". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Muhammad, Anisah (August 23, 2024). "Statue of Congressman John Lewis to be unveiled in Decatur". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on October 17, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  22. ↑ "PHOTOS: Statue of late Congressman John Lewis unveiled in Decatur". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. August 24, 2024. ISSN 1539-7459. OCLC 48488341. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2026.

Further reading

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