Stone Mountain Park association says it’ll listen to all proposals regarding Confederate imagery

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Advocacy groups have been demanding for changes to be made at Stone Mountain Park in regard to its Confederate imagery.

But it could be next year before the Stone Mountain Memorial Association can make any changes.

Stone Mountain Park was the site of several demonstrations over the summer. A coalition of citizens and activists have again asked the board in charge for changes.

“Our mission is to end hatred and racial discrimination, and it starts with Stone Mountain Park,” said Teresa Hardy with the NAACP DeKalb branch.

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Hardy wants the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to remove Confederate imagery, including the names of the streets, flags flying by the walk-up trail and the carving itself.

“The NAACP calls for the three figures on the mountain to be resculpted. We also call for all references to the Confederacy to be eradicated," she said.

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But that’s not as simple as the demand sounds. Georgia law compels the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to maintain an “appropriate and suitable” memorial to the Confederacy.

But the Stone Mountain Action Coalition believes that’s open to interpretation.

It wants to see the memorial association issue an anti-racism statement and commit to a comprehensive redesign of the entire park.

But there are opponents to the proposals, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Some point out the park is Georgia’s most popular park and said there shouldn’t be any changes.

“My God have we lost our minds? You can destroy a statue, but you cannot change history. Do you want to hide it or do you want to learn from it?” Dennis Elm said.

SMMA CEO Bill Stephens promises to listen to all the proposals and come back with recommendations by next spring.

“The goal is to bring Stone Mountain into the 21st Century and to vet the ideas that we have, all kinds of ideas and proposals," he said.

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