CNN
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A bronze statue of the civil rights icon of the late Rep. John Lewis watches over the site of a former Georgia congressional district that once held a Confederate memorial.
Sculptor Basil Watson was selected to design and create a monument to be installed in the historic Decatur Courthouse in the district where Lewis served 17 consecutive terms, the DeKalb County Memorial Task Force announced Thursday.
A task force was formed to honor Lewis’ legacy and “provide the symbol of inclusivity, equality, and justice” that the Confederate Memorial has stood for over 100 years.
“Monuments of bigotry, division and hatred will be replaced by monuments to a man who loved, cared for this country, and brought people of all colors together.” was “one of the proudest moments” of his tenure.
The son of a sharecropper, Lewis survived a brutal police beating during a historic 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, and became a key figure in the civil rights movement. Lewis passed away in July 2020 at the age of 80.
At a ceremony announcing his commission on Thursday, Watson said he briefly met the late congressman at an art fair. said.
“The story of John Lewis is a powerful story to be told,” Watson added.
Watson is a Jamaican-born artist who moved to Georgia in 2002. His work includes an engraving on his bolt of Usain, his eight-time Olympic gold medalist in his home country, and a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for his Golden Jubilee in the UK. his websiteMany of you in Atlanta may be familiar with the Martin Luther King Jr. statue near Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The courthouse where the Lewis Tribute is built is located in Decatur Square, the bustling city center just east of Atlanta.
Until June 2020, about a month before Lewis died, the DeKalb County Confederate Memorial to the “Lost Cause” had been removed from the courthouse grounds. The removal of the 30-foot obelisk was ordered by a county judge after the city deemed it a threat to public safety. Local activists, demonstrators and students from nearby Decatur High School also called for its removal.
“This project is a love affair for all of us who knew and loved Congressman Lewis,” Decatur Mayor Patty Garrett said in a news release ahead of the announcement.
“His statue will serve as a reminder to all passers-by that this great and humble man once walked among us, electing him again and again to serve us and the world. He really was the conscience of Congress,” Garrett said.
“Artists will begin work immediately. Once the statue is complete, the task force will sponsor a community-wide event to showcase their work,” the release said.
The organization hopes to have the tribute in place by 2024.