In 2019, U.S. Rep. John Lewis attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a school named in his honor. Now, a mural at the DeKalb County school continues to celebrate his legacy.
Unveiled Monday, the mural at John R. Lewis Elementary in Brookhaven features the colorful picture of the civil rights icon holding hands with children along with one of his quotes: “Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation. What legacy do you want to leave behind?”
Students, faculty, members of Lewis’ family, and Detria Everson, president and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, attended the ceremony.
“There will be a reminder every time students and visitors and guests, and people from all over, walk by that mural or visit this school,” Everson told reporters. “They’ll have a wonderful reminder of who Congressman Lewis was, and really, the thing I love most is that it’s him holding hands with children.
“Congressman Lewis loved children, and so any time we have a chance to show that side of him and show how much he was dedicated to the youth, it’s important for each and every one of us,” Everson said.
In 2012, a mural honoring Lewis, at the intersection of Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive in Edgewood, was designed by Sean Schwab of the Loss Prevention artists collective.
Lewis was born in Alabama in 1940. He was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in 2019 and died in 2020 at the age of 80 after serving 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
President Barack Obama wrote at the time of Lewis’ passing: “He loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example.”
