John Lewis statue replaces Confederate monument in Decatur Square
Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) is photographed in his offices in the Canon House office building on March 17, 2009 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images)
DECATUR, Ga. - DeKalb County will honor the late civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis with the unveiling of a new historic memorial in Decatur Square over the weekend.
The bronze monument will be placed in front of the Historic DeKalb County Courthouse, at the very spot where a contentious monument to the confederacy stood for more than 110 years before it was dismantled in 2020.
On Friday, work crews gently rested the 12-foot-tall statue into place as the internationally acclaimed sculptor, Basil Watson, looked on carefully.
"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, as he assisted with the installation process.
The memorial took four years of planning and a global search for an artist before the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force selected Watson.
Lewis was known for his role on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement and urged others to get in "good trouble" for a cause he saw as vital and necessary.
The statue is set to be officially unveiled on Saturday.
Confederate monument removed from Decatur Square
The Confederate memorial in Decatur Square. (FOX 5)
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."
During its removal, the stone obelisk was lifted from its base with straps amid jeers and chants of "Just drop it!" from onlookers, who were kept at a safe distance by sheriff’s deputies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.