Georgia is strewn with monuments and segregationist symbols that commemorate the Confederacy and its leaders. However, the state is also home to multiple fixtures that memorialize Black pioneers and their contributions to American history.
From military officials who fought in wars to political icons who challenged inequality to aim for social justice, statues stand around town that celebrate African American culture. Need help getting started? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has curated this round-up of notables.
Andrew Young
If you’re perusing downtown Atlanta, it’s not hard to spot the sculpture of Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations. The bronze artwork by Johnpaul Harris praises the activist and his role in the civil rights movement. According to the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Harris purposely didn’t put the living legend on a pedestal, because he said, “He’s a man of the people…That’s why he’s down there, so the people can be with him.”
Andrew Young Tribute Plaza, Andrew Young International Boulevard and Carnegie Way NW, Atlanta.
Credit: JOHN SPINK/AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK/AJC
“Behold”
“Behold” is dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Unveiled by Coretta Scott King in 1990, the monument highlights the principles that guided her late husband’s work and aims to motivate those advocating for equal human rights. While designing the piece, artist Patrick Morelli pulled inspiration from the traditional African birthing ceremony of a father raising his infant towards the heavens, which symbolizes hope for the future.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, 450 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta.
Benjamin E. Mays and Sadie Gray Mays Memorial
Benjamin E. Mays was the president of Morehouse College for nearly two decades, and the HBCU recognized his legacy with a statue. Credited for mentoring notable activists, including Julian Bond and Maynard Jackson, the minister and educator was known as the “movement’s intellectual conscience.” His larger-than-life fixture sits just feet away from the marble memorial of him and his wife Sadie Gray Mays. Both their bodies were moved and entombed on the campus in 1995.
Morehouse College, 830 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta.
Black Patriots Monument
This piece salutes Black patriots who fought in the American Revolution, but the bust of it pays special tribute to James Armistead Lafayette. After seeking permission from his master to enlist in the war, he posed as a runaway slave to scoop details on British operations. But he is not the only one spotlighted. In the inscription of the monument, visitors can also learn about Austin Dabney, the only African American to be granted land by the state of Georgia in recognition of his bravery and service in the Revolutionary War.
“There was no image of Austin Dabney for me to work from,” sculptor and University of Georgia professor Kinzey Branham told The News-Reporter. “It was suggested that I ‘make somebody up.’ Well, I’ve never met a generic person ... By working from a painting of James Armistead Lafayette, I could put a face on all the African Americans who served in the American Revolution.”
Downtown Washington, 22 W. Square, Washington.
Sgt. Rodney M. Davis Memorial
Sgt. Rodney M. Davis of Macon served in the Vietnam War. During an attack by enemies in 1967, he encouraged the soldiers to continue combat. When a grenade landed near their trench, he jumped on it to save the Marines around him. The hero was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1969, and in 2012, his gravesite was restored and a 14-foot monument was erected.
Linwood Cemetery, 120 Pursley St., Macon.
Credit: Picasa
Credit: Picasa
Eugene Jacques Bullard Statue
After successfully betting a friend $2,000 that he could join the French flying service despite the color of his skin, Eugene Jacques Bullard became the first Black pilot to fly in combat in the 1910s, according to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. In 2019, the Museum of Aviation praised the Columbus native for his accomplishments with a statue. Although Bullard spent much of his adult life abroad, he became active in the civil rights movement upon his return to America and was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.
Museum of Aviation, 1942 Heritage Blvd., Robins AFB.
“Expelled Because of Their Color”
This sculpture pays homage to the Original 33, the first 33 African Americans elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1868 during the Reconstruction era. Although they were initially expelled because of their race, the members victoriously lobbied for the federal government to reseat them. Completed by John Thomas Riddle Jr. in 1978, the artwork’s cinder blocks at the base represent the building of Black political representation in the United States.
Georgia State Capitol, 206 Washington St. SW, Atlanta.
Haitian Monument
During your next trip to Savannah, visit the Haitian Monument, which celebrates the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue. The troop consisted of the more than 500 Haitian servicemen who volunteered to fight against the British during the Siege of Savannah, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. In fact, the group was the largest unit of soldiers of African descendants to battle in the war. The life-size bronze sculpture, created by James Mastin, was completed in 2009.
Franklin Square, 21 Montgomery St., Savannah.
“Lifting the Veil of Ignorance”
Booker T. Washington challenged African Americans to elevate themselves through hard work and knowledge, and this sculpture in front of the high school named after him illustrates his principles. The Atlanta carving, which shows Washington symbolically lifting the veil of ignorance from a former slave, is a duplicate of the original, which is located at Tuskegee University.
Booker T. Washington High School, 45 Whitehouse Drive SW, Atlanta.
“Through His Eyes”
This bronze and silicon statue applauds civil rights leader John Wesley Dobbs. Often referred to as the unofficial “mayor” of Auburn Avenue, he co-founded the Atlanta Negro Voters, an organization that helped register thousands of African Americans to vote. Based on a 12th-century Nigerian tradition, the Dobbs sculpture by Ralph Helmick is only a “face mask,” according to the Library of Congress, so passerby can literally look out onto Auburn Avenue “through his eyes.”
Downtown Atlanta, Auburn Avenue and Fort Street Atlanta.
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