SPLC: Truth-Telling is a Good First Step; Much Work Left to be Done

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Stone Mountain Memorial Association recently approved several resolutions which will bring long overdue changes to Stone Mountain Park, including relocating Confederate flags from the base of the mountain, updating the park’s logo and adding a truth-telling exhibit.

The following statement is from SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks:

“We applaud the Stone Mountain Memorial Association for approving resolutions that address the Confederacy’s longtime propaganda campaign on Georgia’s public land.

“We are encouraged by Chairman Abraham Mosley’s admission that these changes are just the beginning. Clearly, much more needs to be done, including street and building renaming but most importantly, an honest reimagining of the dehumanizing carving itself.

“There are still 237 Confederate memorials located across the state of Georgia* that need to be reckoned with. These statues, plaques, markers, schools, parks, counties, cities, military property, streets and highways are smaller in stature but tell the same lie that the Confederacy was fought for anything but the preservation of chattel slavery.

“As long as Georgians allow this shrine to the Confederacy – the largest in the world – to remain in place, Stone Mountain Park will continue to be unwelcoming to all.”

*In 2021, two Confederate symbols have been removed and three are pending removal. Seven Confederate symbols were removed from Georgia’s public spaces in 2020.

The new season of SPLC’s Sounds Like Hate 2 podcast forces reckoning with Confederate symbols in Alabama, Georgia and Texas starting May 26!

Learn more about the Sounds Like Hate 2 podcast and stream it here.