A.M. ATL: John Lewis replaces the Confederacy
Morning, y’all! Expect temperatures in the low 90s today. They’ll creep even higher the rest of the week — perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte weather!
News wise, we’ve got the latest on the death of another local deputy, an illustrated take on Georgia’s prison problems and reactions from Georgia Tech football’s big win across the pond. Plus, our weekly look at what lies ahead.
But first: How a statue of a civil rights icon came to replace a monument to the Confederacy.
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‘LOOKING FORWARD’
A new statue of the late Congressman John Lewis now stands outside DeKalb County’s historic courthouse, right off the downtown Decatur square.
It’s a fitting tribute to a civil rights hero who represented the area and loved its people — and an apt replacement for a Confederate monument that stood in the same spot for more than a century.
- “It absolutely represents looking forward and taking down something that was a divider in the community,” Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett told the AJC. “This is something that brings people together, that recognizes the legacy of John Lewis but also recognizes what he stood for.”
Perhaps appropriately, political will and a bit of “good trouble” helped lay the groundwork.
Way back in 1908, the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a 30-foot obelisk (a tapering pointy thing, like the Washington Monument) outside the courthouse.
Like other monuments across the country, historians say, its aim was to help whitewash the causes of the Civil War and remind Black Americans who was in charge.
The placement? Not a coincidence.
Fast forward to 2020 and protests over the death of George Floyd, police violence and systemic racism. The Decatur obelisk became a target for activists (and their graffiti).
Leaders quietly went to court and got Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger to deem the obelisk a “public nuisance.”
- Right, wrong or indifferent, the declaration ordered the county to remove the monument — circumventing state law protecting such shrines. (Confederacy fans later sued, but it was a lost cause.)
- The obelisk came down in the wee hours of June 19, 2020. The Juneteenth holiday.
Lewis died the next month. The obelisk-replacing option was obvious.
A few years of fundraising (and hard work by sculptor Basil Watson) led to the recent unveiling.
“He was all love,” said Michael Collins, Lewis’ former chief of staff. “He loved me unconditionally. He accepted me unconditionally, and he said it every day. He said it to everybody.”
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THE WEEK AHEAD
🏀 Today: Rookie phenom Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena — where they’re trying to set an attendance record. No tickets? Watch at 7:30 p.m. on Peachtree TV.
🏳️🌈 Tuesday: Global Black Pride, which features events at the Georgia World Congress Center and Piedmont Park, gets underway.
🚌 Wednesday: Vice President Kamala Harris launches a two-day bus tour through South Georgia. Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid rock Truist Park.
🐲 Thursday: The PGA Tour Championship tees off at a renovated East Lake Golf Club. Dragon Con, that annual tradition of cosplay and pop culture, begins in downtown Atlanta.
😎 Friday: Your last chance to get out of dodge if you’re not sticking around for all of the Labor Day weekend festivities.
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ANOTHER DEPUTY DEATH
Carroll County Investigator Taylor Bristow died several days after being shot while serving a warrant, officials said. Public visitation is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Mount Holly Church.
- Bristow’s death marks the second of a Georgia deputy in a matter of days. Hundreds of people gathered Friday for Paulding County Deputy Brandon Cunningham’s funeral.
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QUADRUPLE SHOOTING
Authorities in Whitfield County (near Dalton, about 90 miles north of Atlanta) say they found four men shot to death at a local park. They had a 16-year-old in custody.
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A DIFFERENT TAKE
A two-page graphic illustration of the AJC Editorial Board’s take on Georgia’s corrupt and dangerous prison system published in Sunday’s print edition.
It kicks off a week in which we’ll hear from stakeholders and tackle possible solutions.
» More from AJC columnists: Downey on school vouchers; Torpy on ‘More MARTA’
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JIG-WORTHY WIN
Georgia Tech’s shocker of a win over No. 10 Florida State has columnist Ken Sugiura asking: What’s not to like about the Yellow Jackets? They may even be destined for their first Top 25 ranking in years.
“After seeing what the Jackets put on the field against the defending ACC champions,” he writes, “there’s ample amount of fuel for Jackets fans to dream big.”
More sports highlights:
- Braves: They failed to complete the series sweep of the Nationals, dropping Sunday’s game 5-1. A pitch hit center fielder Michael Harris II in the hand and he’s considered day-to-day.
- Bulldogs: It’s game week for Georgia football, with a matchup against Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium awaiting. Which one weakness could prevent the Bulldogs from winning a title?
- United: The Five Stripes lost again — but remain in the playoff picture.
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GOOD EATS
The latest restaurant and dining news includes a new Thai spot in Buckhead, a dog park/restaurant concept in Kirkwood and a Mellow Mushroom coming to the Beltline.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
» Spelman built a digital tool revealing Black women’s strides in STEM
» Civil rights-era idea spurs new, affordable homes
» GOP Senate panel reports on Fulton jail overcrowding
» One of New York’s largest megachurches acquires church in Atlanta
» Gridlock Guy: Common bad driving habits also crashed the Titanic
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ON THIS DATE
Aug. 26, 1920
The U.S. Secretary of State declared the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, officially ratified. Tennessee’s approval pushed the amendment over the edge; Georgia was not among the 36 states to OK the measure.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer John Spink recently caught Chad Cassimere getting some sprints in at Piedmont Park, the Midtown skyline looming behind him.
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ONE MORE THING
Can you imagine going to space for an eight-day mission — and then having to stay for eight months instead? Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are living it.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
