Artist Dewon Moten is working on the John Lewis mural in downtown Birmingham on December 26, 2020. Photo via Pat Byington for Bham Now
Last August, Lee Pantazis, the owner of Gus’ Hot Dogs, let me into a secret. He told me that once his company got the proper permits, he would have a mural painted on his company’s empty east wall in honor of civil rights hero John Lewis.
Four months later, his secret is out.
The new 4th Avenue North mural
The Gus’s Hot Dogs – John Lewis Mural in downtown Birmingham on 4th Avenue North. Photo via Nathan Watson for Bham Now
For all mural seekers out there, the new mural is on 1915 4th Ave. North. The artist who painted the portrait and words of Lewis is Dewon Moten.
I met with Lee and Dewon on Saturday afternoon to ask both about the new mural and its message.
Fight for people who had no voice
Artist Dewon Moten and Gus’ Hot Dogs owner Lee Pantazis in front of the unfinished John Lewis Mural in downtown Birmingham on 4th Avenue North. Photo via Pat Byington for Bham Now
“During this difficult year, my crew and I have come together to think about what we can do on a personal level. We took the time to vote. We took the time to get involved with local charities.
I firmly believe in the value of art and the value and power of education. I wanted to party with my boys and a local artist, Dewan Moten, an Alabama hero.
John Lewis is someone who has put his own health at risk all his life to fight for people who had no voice. This is a man who made the world a better place. We should all strive to have the same positive effects as he does. ”
Lee Pantazis
His influence
John Lewis, Seyram Selase (Former Anniston Alderman) and the two Chairs of Freedom Rider Park, Bill Harbor and Pete Conroy. Lewis and Harbor shared a prison cell in Parchman Prison for over 50 days. Photo courtesy Seyram Selase
Lewis, who is from Troy, Alabama, participated in lunch sit-ins and Freedom Rides as a student. He also helped organize the Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights. Videos and photos of Lewis and his peaceful protesters brutally beaten by Alabama State Troopers on Edmund Pettus Bridge were broadcast worldwide. The violence that day enraged the nation. As a result, Congress passed the 1965 Suffrage Act.
Years later, Lewis became a Georgia Congressman and campaigned for civil and human rights for three decades. He died in July.
“I am very proud that John Lewis is a citizen of Alabama and very proud to honor him. Hopefully this mural inspires our community to come together. As Lewis said, with a sense of love and fellowship we can make the impossible possible. “
I feel like I have magic
Artist Dewon Moten in front of the unfinished John Lewis Mural in downtown Birmingham on 4th Avenue North. Photo via Pat Byington for Bham Now
After my interview with Lee, I was able to briefly interrupt Dewon after he stepped off his ladder and completely revised his portrayal of Lewis.
“Murals have been my daily job for the past 4 to 5 years. As this whole situation happened with the movement and the pandemic, it became more of a voice to me. I express what I feel through works of art. I feel like with the pandemic, people have had more time to stop and be attentive. I think art was one of those things that brought people back together. For me with this tool in hand. I feel like I have magic.
Dewon Moten
Along with his downtown installation, you can see Dewon’s magic in Ensley – where he has murals at the entrance to the historic district and along the wall corridor on the parish’s 19th Street.
Mural of Dewon Moton in Ensley. Photo by Pat Byington for Bham Now
Gateway to 4th Avenue business district
The new Gus Hot Dogs mural sends a strong message. Next to Lewis’ portrait are his words:
“When you come together on a mission that is based on love and community, you are making the impossible possible.”
The Gus’s Hot Dogs – John Lewis Mural in downtown Birmingham on 4th Avenue North. Photo via Nathan Watson for Bham Now
The news greets customers at Gus’ Hot Dogs, as well as the students at Ed Farm’s new headquarters across the street. It’s less than a block from the Trailways bus depot where Freedom Riders were beaten by the Klan on Mother’s Day, 1961. If you continue one more block on 4th Avenue, you will enter 4th Avenue Historic District, the center of black business in Birmingham during segregation.
What a magical gift to all of us.
“We’re proud to honor John Lewis at Gus, to partner with Dewan and we’re excited to have some art on a previously ugly blank wall,” said Lee with a smile.
We are too.
Enjoy Birmingham murals? Check out our guide. follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and Sign up for our FREE newsletter.
Pat ByingtonLongtime conservationist. Former executive director of the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Editor of Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in creating Alabama’s Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preserving special places throughout the east through the Wilderness Society, and strengthening (exacerbating) cancer in Alabama Risk and Mercury Standards.
Comments are closed.