How did the city of Decatur come to be? Where did its wealth come from? Who benefited from this city being formed and who did not? We began this project after viewing the City of Decatur’s version of its own history which is shamefully inadequate in its description of what happened here.
The pictures above show contrasting views of how we see Decatur. The image on the left from the city’s “Historic Decatur” page shows the home built for merchant planter and Confederate Lt. Col. George Washington Scott. He was an owner of enslaved Africans on his forced labor farm in Florida. The one on the right shows “What Sonia Said” which was commissioned by the Art for the People project of Beacon Hill to reflect the voices of people of color, advocate for social justice and equity, and lift up historical themes of racial reckoning, resistance, survival, healing, affirmation, and radical imagination. It was placed at the Ebster Recreation Center in September 2021.
The Decolonize Decatur Committee believes that Decatur’s 200th anniversary should be a time for study, remembrance and mourning. We know the complete story has not been told here. There are missing pieces and voices of those most affected, in particular, that need to be heard and included. Our hope is that this document will be a tool in beginning a much needed community conversation that will, most importantly, lead to action around reparative justice and reparations for Beacon community members and others that have experienced human rights violations.