海角大神

When I learned that a statue of John Lewis would replace a Confederate monument in downtown Decatur, I knew I had to see it, and not just because of my own with hate-filled artifacts. In many ways, the late congressman was the personification of the famous hymn 鈥淎mazing Grace.鈥� It is fitting that a community would replace something representing a 鈥渓ost cause鈥� with a dedication to empathy.聽

鈥淚 once was lost, but now am found / Was blind, but now I see.鈥�

The congressman was a mythical figure, even before he posthumously defeated the Confederacy in front of the Historic DeKalb Courthouse. He was one of the bruised heroes of . Mr. Lewis suffered a fractured skull when police attacked marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. Some 58 people were beaten for peacefully protesting for voting rights. Years before that, Mr. Lewis at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr., on behalf of civil rights. Georgia first elected him to Congress in 1986. He would serve until his death in 2020. In later years, the congressman became a . His in one of the newspapers of record.

The new statue is befitting Mr. Lewis鈥� legacy. It is larger than life and unmistakably in his likeness. Including the granite pedestal that it sits on, the sculpture is 12 feet tall. It seems like it鈥檚 larger, however. Even when standing in a nearby gazebo, onlookers are still not at eye level with the civil rights icon.

How John Lewis鈥� former staffer thinks about continuing his work

Sunday, the day after the unveiling of the Lewis statue, a Black woman in a white flowing dress takes pictures alongside the sculpture. Her glasses are black-rimmed 鈥� taking on the likeness of a M枚bius strip, which speaks to a sense of timelessness.

Ken Makin

Former John Lewis staffer Tuere Butler stands in front of the new sculpture after its unveiling in Decatur, Georgia.

There are also strong emotions behind those frames.

鈥淚t was just a very emotional time just to see everyone who was able to gather and pay homage to a man who dedicated his life and his work for building the beloved community,鈥� said Tuere Butler, a former staffer for Representative Lewis who ultimately became his longest-serving employee. 鈥淚 had the privilege and the honor to serve Congressman Lewis for 22 years.鈥�

For the trained ear, 鈥渂eloved community鈥� is the tell. It is the , of a movement that would change the world. It is a message of hope which endures, even in times where the political and social landscapes are unsure.

鈥淭here鈥檚 still work to be done. That鈥檚 one of the charges that Congressman Lewis left with us. ... There鈥檚 still work to be done, and we can鈥檛 give up just because it gets challenging or hard, because the community and people are worth it. We鈥檙e all in this together,鈥� Mrs. Butler said.聽 鈥淎nd so, if we鈥檙e not willing to roll up our sleeves and fight not only for ourselves, but for our fellow man and woman, what鈥檚 the point of us being here on this earth?聽

鈥淲e have to look out for one another and we have to go about this life picking someone up or encouraging someone or pushing them forward so that they can be their best selves,鈥� Mrs. Butler adds. 鈥淎nd in turn, you鈥檙e gonna be your best self.鈥�

Even with Mr. Lewis鈥� likeness and towering presence, however, this statue isn鈥檛 just a story about the man who was known for stirring up 鈥済ood trouble.鈥�

It is decidedly diasporic, thanks to the contributions of Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson, whose of his approach to art aligns with notions of empathy: 鈥淚 am inspired by the heroic in mankind, and am moved to express the vitality, beauty, grace and strength of the human figure in its varied shapes, sizes, abilities and functions,鈥� he says on his website. 鈥淭he spirit that motivates it is limitless in its grandeur.鈥�

When Mrs. Butler took pictures by the statue, the foot traffic nearby was minimal, as if a higher power allowed her space to commune quietly.

Minutes later, a steady wave of onlookers appeared, laughing and taking pictures of their own.

鈥淭his man helped us get to where we are today鈥�

Among those passersby were two of Mr. Watson鈥檚 compatriots, Sharon Thompson and Rose Douglas. The latter had just recently walked the fated Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday.

鈥淪eeing what鈥檚 happening now and knowing that [Mr. Lewis] was trying so hard to unify a country that is so divided,鈥� Ms. Douglas says, 鈥淚 just wanted to pay respect because we do stand on their shoulders. ... Look around, you can see the diversity right here. This man helped us get to where we are today.鈥�

Ms. Thompson notes that her friend鈥檚 previous works include sculptures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt.

鈥淸Mr. Watson] represents Jamaica, and the world, really. He鈥檚 done so many sculptures, but John Lewis is super special,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t gives me a sense of pride knowing that my countryman did this.鈥�

But the final word belongs to Malcolm Williams, an Afrofuturistic artist who also journeyed to see the new statue. He found meaning not only in the artwork, but in what it replaced.

鈥淏eing an artist, I wanted to see another medium like this, and how it really captured the emotion of someone who really lived and loved what he was doing,鈥� Mr. Williams says. 鈥淭he more that we uproot seeds of hate, the more that we can allow love to blossom.鈥�