DeKalb County marks its bicentennial

By Clare S. Richie

A yearlong celebration of DeKalb County’s 200th anniversary is underway.

“DeKalb’s bicentennial gives us the opportunity to literally tell our story in a more inclusive and expansive manner,” said DeKalb County CEO Michael L. Thurmond.

Commemorations include a 112 feet wide by 16 feet tall mural on the Manuel Maloof auditorium; a John Lewis statue; and improvements to DeKalb’s historic courthouse in Decatur.

A proposed mural section rendering shows Native Americans, Stone Mountain, the Civil War, and the courthouse. The remainder will likely include Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement, MARTA, and more.

“I especially want to develop a mural so our children of all races, colors, and creeds will be able to see themselves in it,” Thurmond said.

Cynthia Jones Parks, president and CEO of Jones Worley, is curating the mural. “My role is to put forth recommended design and content, following the CEO’s vision and timeline,” Parks said.

Parks’ team reviewed history books, images from DeKalb, Atlanta, Tucker, and Dunwoody history centers and consulted the Georgia and National Archives.

“We wanted to look at things that were the first, the largest, and the most notable” Parks said. “You have to know the story before you can represent it visually.”

Once vetted, the mural will be fabricated and affixed to brick, tentatively by summer 2023. It will have QR codes to name the image and provide more information.

Leading up to the bicentennial, The John Lewis Commemorative Task Force – led by Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson and co-chair Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett secured approval for a John Lewis memorial in his former Congressional district, where a Confederate obelisk was removed.

Sculptor Basil Watson, a Jamaican-born artist who came to Georgia in 2002 and created a Martin Luther King Jr. statue near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was recently selected to create Lewis’ memorial.

“The statue will show John with his eyes closed in thought and his hand over his heart,” Commissioner Johnson said. “He was a giant of a man with a humble heart.”

Installation is expected within 18 months.

Plans are also underway for sprucing up the historic courthouse. It’s home to the DeKalb History Center’s (DHC) public archives library and museum. The 200 Years of DeKalb County Exhibit on display includes donated objects, such as jars of soil donated by the NAACP DeKalb to document lynching.

“It’s a difficult part of history but it’s one that we really need to talk about and display,” said Melissa Carlson, DHC Executive Director.

Visit dekalbcountyga.gov for more details.