Stone Mountain Controversy: Georgia moves to Dismiss Confederate Suit Over Slavery Exhibit
The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed the lawsuit against the state park, saying officials broke state law by planning an exhibit exploring ties to slavery, segregation, and white supremacy.
Georgia law 50-3-1(b)(3) states no publicly owned monument on property owned by the State of Georgia can be relocated, removed, or hidden. Georgia mandate (12-3-192.1) also states the purpose of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association is to 'maintain an appropriate and suitable memory for the Confederacy.' Both passed in 2019.
Read More: Confederate Supporters Sue over Slavery and Segregation Exhibit at Stone Mountain
With an $11 million budget, allocated by Georgia's General Assembly in 2023, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association enlisted Warner Museums to design a 'truth telling' center.
'The interpretive themes developed for Stone Mountain will explore how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery, by westward expansion, a destructive war, and eventual military defeat, was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement amidst the social and economic disruptions that followed,' the exhibit proposal says.
But their work, with the stated purpose of removing Confederate symbols, contextualizing the Confederacy and attracting new attendees, came under fire from the group.
In a surprising move yesterday, Attorney General Chris Carr, who is currently running for governor, has reportedly moved to dismiss three lawsuits filed by Sons of the Confederacy, citing the group does not have legal grounds to sue. Georgia is protected by sovereign immunity — a legal framework that can shield governments from lawsuits.
Read More: Where MARTA Runs, Lives were once Sold into Bondage
But recent moves by the Trump administration may indicate the struggle over the narrative surrounding Stone Mountain may not be over.
In March, Trump signed the Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History executive order, writing:
'It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing. Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.'
The administration announced plans for two statues commemorating the Confederacy to be reinstalled in Washington, D.C., last week.
The Stone Mountain truth telling exhibit is scheduled to open by the end of the year.
The post Stone Mountain Controversy: Georgia moves to Dismiss Confederate Suit Over Slavery Exhibit appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
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