A landmark moment for DeKalb County — and for the ongoing pursuit of justice, equity, and the Beloved Community.
August 24, 2024 | Commissioner Mereda Davis JohnsonDecatur Square, DeKalb County
On Saturday, August 24, 2024, hundreds of neighbors, elected officials, civil rights leaders, and community members gathered on the Decatur Square to witness a moment that will be etched in the history of DeKalb County. A towering 12-foot bronze statue of the late Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis was unveiled in front of the Historic DeKalb County Courthouse — standing on the very ground where a Confederate obelisk once stood for more than 110 years.
This day was four years in the making. In the summer of 2020, following the removal of the Confederate monument and the national reckoning with racial injustice, Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson and Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett came together with a shared vision: to replace a symbol of division with one of unity, courage, and hope. That vision became the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force, and today, it became reality.
The statue, titled “Empathy,” was created by acclaimed Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson — an artist whose works include tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt. Watson described Lewis’s most defining quality as his deep capacity for empathy, and shaped every curve of the bronze to reflect that spirit. “Public sculptures should represent our values,” Watson said. “It’s a magnificent honor to be part of the recognition of the changing of our values as a country and as a nation.”
“We removed a monument to separation and replaced it with one of cooperation.”— DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond
The ceremony drew remarkable voices. Senator Raphael Warnock spoke movingly about replacing a Confederacy monument with a living tribute to the Beloved Community. Ambassador Andrew Young, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Congressman Sanford Bishop, and members of the Lewis family all gathered to mark the occasion. A letter from then-Vice President Kamala Harris — read aloud by a Spelman College student — called the tribute a symbol of progress and a reminder of our responsibility to teach the nation’s full history.
For Commissioner Davis Johnson, this moment is deeply personal. As co-chair of the Task Force alongside Mayor Garrett and former DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis, she has championed this project from its earliest days — believing that the land in front of our courthouse should reflect the values of justice and equality that define our community at its best.
“We come here to celebrate an extraordinary man, but most importantly, we come to rededicate ourselves to finishing his unfinished work.”— DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond
John Lewis was first elected to represent Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in 1986 and served 17 proud terms — a district that includes parts of DeKalb County. He was one of the heroes of Bloody Sunday, suffering a fractured skull when police attacked marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. He passed away in July 2020, but his legacy — and his charge to make “good trouble” — endures.
The statue is located at 556 North McDonough Street, Decatur, GA. We invite every resident of District 5 and DeKalb County to visit, reflect, and carry forward the unfinished work of the Congressman who dedicated his life to building a more just and beloved community for all of us.
Watch the full unveiling ceremony above.
For more information about the John Lewis Memorial, visit johnlewistribute.com. To learn more about Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson’s work in District 5, explore the Gallery section of this site or reach out to our office.