Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
Stone Mountain's massive carving depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Gen. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson on horseback. Critics who have long pushed for changes say the monument enshrines the 'Lost Cause' mythology that romanticizes the Confederate cause as a state's rights struggle, but state law protects the carving from any changes.
After police brutality spurred nationwide reckonings on racial inequality and the removal of dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees Stone Mountain Park, voted in 2021 to relocate Confederate flags and build a 'truth-telling' exhibit to reflect the site's role in the rebirth of the Klu Klux Klan, along with the carving's segregationist roots.
The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also alleges in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the board's decision to relocate Confederate flags from a walking trail violates Georgia law.
'When they come after the history and attempt to change everything to the present political structure, that's against the law,' said Martin O'Toole, the chapter's spokesperson.
Stone Mountain Park markets itself as a family theme park and is a popular hiking spot east of Atlanta. Completed in 1972, the monument on the mountain's northern space is 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The United Daughters of the Confederacy hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mount Rushmore , to craft the carving in 1915.
That same year, the film 'Birth of a Nation' celebrated the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan, which marked its comeback with a cross burning on top of Stone Mountain on Thanksgiving night in 1915. One of the 10 parts of the planned exhibit would expound on the Ku Klux's Klan reemergence and the movie's influence on the mountain's monument.
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association hired Birmingham-based Warner Museums, which specializes in civil rights installations, to design the exhibit in 2022.
'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.
Other parts of the exhibit would address how the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans perpetuated the 'Lost Cause' ideology through support for monuments, education programs and racial segregation laws across the South. It would also tell stories of a small Black community that lived near the mountain after the war.
Georgia's General Assembly allocated $11 million in 2023 to pay for the exhibit and renovate the park's Memorial Hall. The exhibit is not open yet. A spokesperson for the park did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The park's board in 2021 also voted to change its logo from an image of the Confederate carveout to a lake inside the park.
Sons of the Confederate Veterans members have defended the carvings as honoring Confederate soldiers.
Changes to the park would 'radically revise' the park's setup, 'completely changing the emphasis of the Park and its purpose as defined by the law of the State of Georgia,' the lawsuit says.
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Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon .
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I don't consider it an elite investment, but it does work as a macro hedge and secures portfolios with stable long-term returns in light of current geopolitical pressures. The bull case for RTX hinges on a serious escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict or related regional wars. Israel and the U.S. could accelerate missile-defense projects and stockpile interceptors; for instance, Iron Dome interceptor orders could double in a wartime year. In this high-demand scenario, RTX's defense revenues could grow by 2-3% faster annually, with margins increasing by 1% more than in the base case. Under these effects, RTX's stock price could climb as high as $175 in 12 months. Consider that a protracted Israel-Iran skirmish might lead Congress to fund an additional $1-2 billion for missile defense aid, with a significant amount of those funds flowing largely to RTX programs. 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As we're entering a new age driven by AI and automation, there is a substantial chance for RTX to fall behind amid technological disruption. However, RTX is being proactive with its integration and investment in AI, so this is more of a long-term structural concern and doesn't affect the near-term return thesis. This long-term disruption risk is not only acutely related to AI advancements but also due to significant domestic competition from Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), and international competition. If China shifts toward more cooperative and democratic political principles, its companies could also pose significant defense alternatives to Western allies. However, such integration is currently not on the table and requires deep structural and political reform within China for its defense services to be accepted by democratic economies. As examples of the growing AI competition, consider how RTX is vying with Lockheed and Northrop on a hypersonic missile interceptor program where algorithmic targeting speed will be key. If RTX captures less of the DoD's (Department of Defense) around $1.8 billion annual AI funding pool, its defense revenue growth could dip by a percentage point or more. Over a 5-10 year horizon, AI could significantly reshape defense market share. The military AI market is projected to quadruple by 2028 to $39 billion at about a 33% CAGR (compound annual growth rate). The bear-case scenario where RTX lags in automation technology and new AI-centric startups begin taking market share aggressively would weigh substantially on RTX's shareholder returns. At this time, I think it's important to treat RTX stock cautiously despite short-term momentum factors; AI disruption and medium-term geopolitical stabilization could moderate growth substantially. Lots of gurus have recently been reducing their RTX stakes, including Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio), who reduced by nearly 12% as of 2025-03-31, and Robert Olstein (Trades, Portfolio), who reduced by nearly 37% as of the same date. For the same period, Renaissance Technologies (Trades, Portfolio) increased its position by nearly 79%. Renaissance has one of the best track records in investing historyits Medallion Fund generated 39% net annualized returns after fees (66% annual gross return) from 1988 to 2018, which is among the highest sustained returns ever recorded in finance. The fact that Renaissance is buying RTX tells you something counter to my independent outlook; this is currently an elite investment in specific high-alpha portfolio strategies. RTX is also held by legendary value investor Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) of Gotham Asset Management, with about 87,000 shares. In my opinion, while the valuation is slightly high right now, the near-term structural growth related to geopolitical tensions creates sentiment tailwinds that are difficult to ignore, which is why many gurus are keen on the stock, in my opinion. To the contrary, insiders have not been buying the stock right now. Over three years, 598,000 shares have been sold by insiders, with only 300 bought. This shows that management is reaping rewards from the business rather than doubling down on equity growth for now. That's understandable if many of the team have been with the company for decades and are looking to cash in now that the stock is sustainably trading at all-time highs. However, RTX's story doesn't end here, so the general market is certainly valid in buying RTX stock as Western defense practices become increasingly important amid a revitalized global alliance protecting from current geopolitical threats. In total, the unfortunate IsraelIran conflict provides short-term tailwinds for RTX stock, but once geopolitical tensions ease sustainably (which I deem inevitable, and is already indicated), I expect substantial moderation in returns. Even amid the current geopolitical climate, I anticipate only about a 7% price return for the stock over the next 12 months. Once there is less defense demand, we're looking at 5% annual price returns or lower per year. Therefore, I think it's important for investors to have tempered expectations with this stock. It's more of a hedge than an alpha engine, which is why I do not own it. Despite my independent outlook, many market-leading investors own the stock, leading to the logical conclusion that there is resilient and potentially under-appreciated upside to come, largely from momentum related to current geopolitical conditions. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. 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