A 12-foot bronze statue of the late civil rights leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis was installed Friday in a town square where a Confederate monument stood for over 110 years before its removal in 2020.
The statue, created by renowned sculptor Basil Watson, now occupies the same spot. Watson closely observed as work crews carefully placed the tribute to the iconic figure, as reported by the New York Post.
“It’s exciting to see it going up and exciting for the city because of what he represents and what it’s replacing,” Watson said.
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Lewis was a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement who famously encouraged people to engage in “good trouble” for just causes. In DeKalb County, where the Confederate monument stood for over a century, protesters echoed Lewis’s call for “good trouble” as they pushed for the monument’s removal, which eventually led to its dismantling.
In 2020, the Confederate obelisk in Decatur, Georgia, was removed amid jeers and chants of “Just drop it!” from onlookers kept at a distance by sheriff’s deputies.
The monument, erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, had stood in the town square for over a century before being taken down following public pressure.
Groups such as the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and Hate Free Decatur have advocated for the removal of the Confederate monument since the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The monument became a focal point for protests against police brutality and racial injustice following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
The city of Decatur requested a Georgia judge to mandate the removal of the Confederate monument, citing frequent vandalism and graffiti that made it a public safety threat.
The new statue of Lewis will be officially unveiled on August 24.
