Statue of civil rights leader John Lewis unveiled in metro Atlanta, replacing Confederate monument

A slight breeze stirred in Decatur as people gathered outside the Historic DeKalb Courthouse on Saturday morning to pay homage to the late John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights icon who inspired thousands of people to join him in making “good trouble.”

By 11 a.m., the courthouse lawn was filled with hundreds of people to watch the official unveiling of a statue of Lewis, who died in July 2020.

The statue now stands in the spot where a Confederate monument stood for more than a century. That statue was removed by the city of Decatur in June 2020, after George Floyd protests rocked the nation and led to national conversations about the hurt caused by Confederate statues in public spaces.

The 12-foot statue on a four-foot pedestal was symbolic of what many described as Lewis’ larger than life stature. The statue depicts Lewis with his hands over his heart and eyes closed in reflection.

“It’s just so fitting and appropriate that he stands erect in front of the courthouse, fairness and justice and everything that he stood for,” said Michael Collins, board chair of The John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. “On top of that, it’s at home. It’s in the district that he served. He loved the people of Georgia, he loved the people of his district, and he knew they loved him.”

ExploreWhere to find other monuments and connections to John Lewis across metro Atlanta

The project is four years in the making. It started with a question by attorney and politician Burrell Ellis in 2020: “What are we going to put here?”

Ellis called U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, who told him to talk to his wife, Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson. Davis Johnson reached out to Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett, and by August 2020, the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force was set up. Ellis and Garrett are co-chairs of the 27-member task force.

From there, DeKalb County put out a request for artists. Those who applied were required to explain their vision. Many shared small models of what they wanted the statue to look like. The task force was given a rating system, and members were asked to share why a particular piece spoke to them.

The design by Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson stood out. His goal was to depict Lewis as a man of compassion and empathy.

“It is said he has never met a stranger. To me, he came across as a man of great empathy, which is one of the most important attributes of a leader,” he said.

The artist was honored to undertake such a project.

“John Lewis was a monumental character, personality, from his civil rights activity through his representation in government and what he has done for his constituents, what he has done for people of color throughout the country and the world,” he said. “To be given the task of depicting him is a great honor for me.”

ExploreFrom his 2020 funeral: Watch John Lewis’ final crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

Watson’s depiction of Lewis spoke to the task force.

“It’s his expression and his hands. It very much, as the artist said, shows the empathy that John Lewis had for everyone, and I think that was one of the messages that really spoke to everyone on the task force,” Mayor Garrett said. “It was an epitome of what John Lewis’ life meant.”

The task force raised over $700,000 for the project. DeKalb County’s tourism board contributed a large portion of the money, Garrett said. She explained that the statue will bring people to the county seat, Decatur. She has already received calls of people who want to travel to Decatur to see the statue. She felt overwhelmed at seeing the memorial’s level of impact.

“It is a day of celebration, a day that we can rejoice and look forward to better things to come. It absolutely represents looking forward and taking down something that was a divider in the community,” she said. “This is something that brings people together, that recognizes the legacy of John Lewis but also recognizes what he stood for, his courage, his empathy, his love, his desire to bring people of different races, different faiths, different backgrounds together.”

Photos: Confederate monument removed after standing 112 years in DeKalb

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A 30-foot obelisk Confederate moment, which has stood for 112 years, was taken down in the downtown Decatur square late Thursday night, June 18, 2020. The monument was erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Photos by Amanda Coyne / AJC

The ceremony

A warm round of applause erupted for John Lewis at the start of Saturday’s program.

Radio personality Rashad Richey served as master of ceremonies. Actress and singer Jennifer Holliday energized gatherers with the National Anthem and the song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Faith leaders led the crowd in prayer.

The program featured comments from Simone Moales, president of Spelman College’s Student Government Association; Sen. Raphael Warnock; congressional representatives Nikema Williams and Sanford Bishop; DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and DeKalb Commissioner Davis Johnson; former Atlanta mayor and United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, civil rights activist Xernona Clayton; and Michael Collins, John Lewis’ former chief of staff.

ExploreRemembering John Lewis: His life and legacy

Credit: Steve Schaefer /

Credit: Steve Schaefer /

Warnock said he first met John Lewis as a student at Morehouse College when Warnock was helping to plan a student-led prayer vigil. The students invited Atlanta leaders and elected officials, but none showed except Lewis, who was in his early days as a member of Congress.

“I’m going to be really honest with you. I don’t really remember what he said that night, but his presence was eloquent testimony enough about what it means to show up,” Warnock said. “And so we show up today to celebrate John Lewis because John Lewis spent his whole life showing up for us.”

Young went back in time to share how influential Lewis was in advocating for better roads in Atlanta, contributing to the city’s expressway system.

“Now I know you’re going to get on the expressway system, and I know you’re going to be cussing and complaining. But I want you to remember that before this was there, John Lewis was paving the way for this to be a great city of the future,” he said.

Reflection from family

Michael Collins’ relationship to John Lewis was multi-layered. He was a freshman at Morehouse College when he first met Lewis, and he worked for him for 21 years. When Lewis died, “Grief was hard,” Collins told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

The late U.S. representative was not only Collins’ boss, but he was also a father figure. The two spoke nearly every day of those 21 years. Collins described Lewis as a leader, a moral force and a moral confidant.

“His life was a symbol to so many people, but for me, it was more than a symbol. It was literally a way of life and love. He was all love. He loved me unconditionally. He accepted me unconditionally, and he said it every day. He said it to everybody,” Collins said.

He described the new memorial as a testament to Lewis’ love, life and legacy.

Oprah Winfrey honored John Lewis and urged people to stand up to bullies in her address to the Democratic National Convention.

Lewis’ cousin, Kimberly Whitaker, said anytime he is memorialized, it’s personal for her. Whitaker is the director of operations for the John R. Lewis Legacy Institute.

“To see our blood being honored and his legacy being continued and not just forgotten, it’s something that runs deep. It’s very heartfelt. It’s very emotional,” she said. “We just pray that everyone continues to remember who he was, what he stood for, take that on as well and continue to push his legacy forward.”

Reflection from DeKalb County and metro Atlanta residents

Stone Mountain resident Portia Griffin, 77, recognized Lewis as a great man.

“I feel very blessed to be here, and it’s just an honor for me to give homage to John Lewis because of the sacrifices that he made,” she said.

Angie Kovacs, 53, just moved to Decatur from Cleveland, Ohio, two weeks ago, with her family. She was emotional as she reflected on the legacy of John Lewis. “I love John Lewis. He was a remarkable man. There are not words that I could even come up with to describe him,” she said.

For Decatur resident Brittany Taylor, 39, John Lewis was an icon and trendsetter. Her friend, Fulton County resident Jamila Ealey, 38, described the moment as monumental. She and her mother first met John Lewis at a nail salon.

“I looked up and my mom said, ‘I think that’s John Lewis.’ And we’re looking. He was just there by himself, really chill. It wasn’t a lot of people in there, so we just went over and said hello. He was very kind, very open,” she said. “He was very much approachable, relatable.”