The history of the park has long been controversial. Although Stone Mountain was not involved in the Civil War, it is the location of the nation’s largest Confederate monument. In addition to Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson, it has a huge carving of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Following racial justice protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and the removal of Confederate statues across the country, the state authority that manages the park, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, took action to de-emphasize the glorification of the Confederacy. The park chose Warner Museums, a company that has created a number of exhibitions pertaining to civil rights, in 2022 to develop a display that tells the complete tale of the park’s history and the Civil War.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, Bill Stephens, CEO of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, stated that it is crucial that people learn about its origins and how, despite the complex past, they may find common ground.
The exhibit’s construction is under progress. It should open by the end of the year, according to Stephens.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans, however, took issue with the flags’ relocation in May after the latest revisions, suing the state and Stephens as well as Abraham Mosley, the chairman of the association. The group claims that state legislation was broken by moving the flags away from a walking trial.
In a separate complaint filed in July, the group also claimed that by organizing the proposed exhibit, the association had violated a Georgia law that requires the state to keep the park a fitting and adequate memorial for the Confederacy.
According to a representative for the organization, the Sons of Confederate Veterans are using member donations to pay for their legal action.
According to the spokeswoman, the law must be changed by the Legislature if the group want to proceed with the show.
Stephens defended the plans of the association.
“We think we’re doing the right thing for Georgia and that we’re on the right side of history and the law,” he said.
The Trump administration is taking action to restore Confederate monuments nationwide as court cases over Stone Mountain continue. President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year requesting that public monuments that were destroyed during the 2020 racial justice demonstrations be restored.
The National Park Service said Monday it would replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike in Washington, D.C., in accordance with that executive order. Additionally, on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Arlington National Cemetery would receive a refurbished Confederate statue.
