Martin Luther King Jr.’s final visit to Macon remembered with new downtown mural

A new mural in downtown Macon is honoring Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and serving as a reminder of his last visit to the community.

Kevin Scene Lewis, a local artist known already for his work depicting civil rights heroes, has painted the icon on a building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“The fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. was here in Macon and did his last speech at Zion Baptist shows the importance Macon held in the civil rights movement,” he said. “I really love it because it’s a great opportunity for discussion with the community.”

The mural was commissioned by Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful as part of the Keep America Beautiful 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Improvement Grant, according to Asha Ellen, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful’s executive director.

“The purpose of the grant is to beautify streets and roads named after Dr. King,” said Ellen.

She said Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful was also a 2023 recipient of the Martin Luther King Community Improvement grant and used the funds to plant over 20 trees on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd from Oglethorpe Street to Hazel Street.

For the 2024 grant, Ellen said Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful commissioned Lewis to pay homage to King’s last visit to Macon on March 23, 1968.

“Dr. King spoke at New Zion Baptist Church - the church was located at 310 Edgewood Avenue not far from the site of the mural which is located at 1410 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard,” she said.

Ellen went on to say that the mural will benefit the community in several ways, including sharing a piece of Macon’s history that many are unaware of. It will also revitalize surrounding neighborhoods. She said it can also help raise awareness to younger generations about King’s message of nonviolence.

King visited Macon just 12 days before being assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. It was King’s final visit to Macon as part of his Poor People’s Campaign .

Ellen said the March 23 Macon stop is unknown to many Maconites.

“In my opinion, Dr. King’s visit was a very historic moment in Macon’s history that we should all at least be aware of,” she said.

Lewis, the artist who created and restored the John Lewis Mural in Warner Robins when it was vandalized in June, said it was an honor to be commissioned for the mural.

Lewis explained that while he is always a fan of beautifying places with art, he feels like he has hit a home run when his work gives viewers the opportunity to learn something.

The mural was a collaboration of public, private and nonprofit organizations coming together for the community, according to Ellen. The building is owned by Brandon and Nadiyah Harris who donated its use for the mural installation.

A native of Ohio, Lewis said he has fallen in love with the Macon community.

“I am really grateful and thankful that I have been able to show my art in this beautiful city of Macon,” he said. “I’ve lived all over the world and this has, by far, been the warmest and most welcoming city to me and my family.”

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his assassination.

King’s most famous work is his “I Have a Dream,” speech delivered in 1963. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

The mural was set to be presented to the community at a news conference Friday morning.