Justice in the Square: From the Confederacy to John Lewis
It was a sight to behold. Decatur Square, packed with people; the sun shining, music playing, a diverse crowd smiling in eager anticipation. A statue covered, standing tall over our gathering; we listened to the dedication; we waited for the unveiling. We sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” And: we cheered as the new statue of John Lewis in Decatur Square was unveiled.
The energy, the palpable excitement of this past Saturday stands in stark contrast to the roiling spring and early summer of 2020. Then, in the same Decatur Square, we marched and sang and chanted and gathered to protest the killing of far too many innocent African-Americans at the hands of the police. And we began to call for the removal of that previous Confederate obelisk, an offensive monument to those who fought and died in a war to maintain slavery as the foundational cornerstone of the southern economy.
Erected in the 1908 to celebrate the prejudicial ideals of the Confederacy, this albatross of spiteful racism loomed over Decatur Square behind the Old Courthouse for one hundred and twelve years. Thanks to a courageous judge, committed politicians and passionate women and men throughout DeKalb County, it was removed in the middle of the night in June of 2020. We celebrated then, seeing the empty ground where that sad monument had once been.
But this past Saturday was vitally different. The empty space of what had been removed is now replaced with an inspiring monument to the Honorable John Lewis, a humble hero of so much that is good and right in our world today. I was so thankful to be part of both times: the first where so many of us of all backgrounds, a colorful array of people and places, joined to demand the removal of a cruel reminder of what we must move beyond.
And the second, a monument that celebrates a life we can move toward. For John Lewis, with a twinkle in his eye and his hand over his heart, evokes movement to a life well lived, working for others, gladly endeavoring on behalf of the common good. His was and ours is that sacred obligation of faithful response to those who have gone before as well as to those who follow.
I’m so thankful to have known him, to have been personally inspired by him, and now, to have a striking image on our square each day reminding us that we, too, can provide “good trouble, necessary trouble” to a world that is not always just, kind or loving. But we can be; we must be.
What a contrast in events; what a thankful resolution; what an inspiration for the days ahead.
Love,
David
David Jordan
Senior Pastor