DeKalb County: Historic unveiling of John Lewis statute Aug. 24, ceremony livestreams 11 a.m.

DECATUR, GA– Today, Aug. 34, tune in to DCTV Channel 23.TV to witness the historic unveiling of the John Lewis statue at 11 a.m. The ceremony, which will be live streamed, will be held in the Decatur Square. Crowds are expected to attend, but everyone can witness online, organizers say.

The monument honors the late legendary Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who died July 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Lewis was known for getting into “good trouble” through his nonviolent protests for civil rights.  Lewis, along with other noted civil rights activists led the landmark civil rights march that became known as “Bloody Sunday” when hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were assaulted by police in Selma, Alabama on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond and DeKalb Board of Commissioners’ Presiding Officer Mereda Davis Johnson will officiate the unveiling ceremony, along with Sen. Raphael Warnock, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, civil rights activist Xernona Clayton and Ambassador Andrew Young. Dr. Rashad Richey, a nationally noted radio talk show host, political analyst and university professor and lecturer, will serve as the master of ceremonies. 

“Congressman John Lewis’ legacy of pursuing ‘good trouble’ will be memorialized and celebrated by this tribute to a great man who dedicated his life to the pursuit of freedom, justice and equality for all,” DeKalb CEO Thurmond said.

“John was a giant of a man with a humble heart,” Commissioner Davis Johnson said. “He never met a stranger and was truly our hero. He is so deserving of this honor.”

The John Lewis monument will replace the Confederate obelisk, which was removed from the Decatur Square in 2020. Renowned sculptor Basil Watson created the monument honoring the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis.  

Established in August 2020 by Commissioner Davis Johnson and Decatur City Mayor Patti Garrett, the John Lewis Commemorative Task Force commissioned Watson to design the memorial after a global search for an artist. The memorial was conceptualized by the Task Force after four years of planning. The task force raised over $700,000 for the project.