John Lewis monument to replace Confederate obelisk in Decatur Square
John Lewis, US Representative from Georgia and civil rights leader, introduces President Barack Obama at the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A monument of the civil rights pioneer and U.S. Rep. John Lewis will take the place of a Confederate monument that once stood in Decatur Square.
On Oct. 25, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners accepted the proposed monument to the late Georgia lawmaker, which will be placed in front of the Historic DeKalb County Courthouse.
The Confederate monument called "The Lost Cause" was erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the square, the same year the Georgia legislature ratified an amendment to prevent African Americans from voting.
In June 2020, one month before Lewis' death, a judge declared the monument a public nuisance and order its removal.
"In short, the Confederate obelisk has become an increasingly frequent target of graffiti and vandalism, a figurative lightning rod for friction among citizens, and a potential catastrophe that could happen at any time if individuals attempt to forcibly remove or destroy it," the judge wrote in his order.
While under Georgia state law, "No publicly owned monument honoring Confederate soldiers shall be relocated, removed or altered in any fashion" the judge said that the move was "an appropriate measure to abate a public nuisance and protect the Obelisk."
The Confederate memorial in Decatur Square. (FOX 5)
The monument has not been completed yet, but the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force hopes to announce the artist by the end of the year.
Lewis, known as the conscience of the Congress, represented Georgia in the House of Representatives for more than 30 years.