A statue honoring the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) Will replace a Confederate memorial in a courthouse in DeKalb County, Ga.
According to The Champion, DeKalb County Commissioners elected on January 26th to erect the figure in Decatur Square to commemorate the legendary service of the freedom fighter during the civil rights movement. He also represented the district in Congress for over 30 years. The Confederate statue to be replaced was removed in January last year when local governments and critics removed other historically problematic figures.
Some DeKalb County residents searched the memorial for Lewis died on July 17th at the age of 80. A formal representation of the congressman has not yet been completed.
Members of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights suggested that County recreate Lewis’ portrayal from his younger years when he was brutally beaten in Alabama by Alabama State Troopers and served as the right hand man of Martin Luther King Jr.
“We hope that our youth will play such an important role in eliminating the [Confederate] Monument that a statue of the young John Lewis during his [younger] Years are being built on Decatur Square, “the group said at a July meeting, according to the publication.
“This will be a reminder of how many young people have been a catalyst for change in the world. Where there was once a monument to intimidate and disenfranchise black voters, there will soon be a statue of an American hero who gave his life to build the movement that guaranteed blacks the right to vote, ”they added.
A separate proposal by the state government was supported by both parties. That bill would include Lewis’ statue to be added to the US Capitol’s Statue Hall, replacing Alexander Stephens – a Vice President of the Confederate. Stephens’ infamous Cornerstone Speech said that slavery is the foundation of the Confederation.
In 2011, former President Barack Obama presented Lewis with the country’s highest civilian honor – the Presidential Medal of Freedom, NPR reported.
Obama called the legendary leader to bring the news to him. According to the publication, the gesture and the changes he has seen over the years have brought Lewis to tears.
“It is hard to believe that we have come this far in a short time as a nation and as a people,” he said. “If you look back, the year Barack Obama was born 50 years ago, black and white people in the American South couldn’t sit together on a bus, train, or waiting room. And we changed that. “