Latest news with #StoneMountainMemorialAssociation
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stone Mountain Controversy: Georgia moves to Dismiss Confederate Suit Over Slavery Exhibit
A Confederate soldiers group that filed a lawsuit last month to stop a 'truth telling' exhibit from opening at Stone Mountain Park were dealt a blow by Georgia's attorney general. 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. Solve the daily Crossword
Miami Herald
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Georgia seeks to dismiss Confederate group's Stone Mountain lawsuits
ATLANTA - The state is pushing back against a series of lawsuits filed by the Georgia chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group is suing the state over the relocation of Confederate flags at Stone Mountain Park and the park's planned "truth-telling" exhibit about the Civil War, slavery, segregation and the Ku Klux Klan. Attorney General Chris Carr's office has moved to dismiss the Sons of Confederate Veterans' three lawsuits, arguing the group does not have legal grounds to sue and that the state is protected by sovereign immunity - a legal doctrine that normally shields governments from lawsuits. The park's history has long been a point of contention. Stone Mountain didn't play a role in the Civil War, but it is home to the largest Confederate monument in the country. It features a massive carving of Confederate President Jefferson Davis as well asGens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, the state authority that oversees the park, took steps to de-emphasize the glorification of the Confederacy in the wake of racial justice protests prompted by the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the removal of Confederate statues across the nation. In 2022, the park selected Warner Museums, a firm that has designed several civil rights-related exhibits, to create a display presenting the full story of the park's history and the Civil War. "It's important that people come to understand how it came to be and how they can find common ground even though the history is complicated," Bill Stephens, CEO of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, said in an interview this week with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Construction for the exhibit is underway. Stephens said it's expected to open by the end of the year. But following the recent changes, the Sons of Confederate Veterans took aim at the relocation of the flags in May, filing a lawsuit against the state and another one against Stephens and association chairman Abraham Mosley. The group contends the relocation of the flags away from a walking trial violated state law. The group also argued in a separate July lawsuit that the association broke a Georgia law requiring the state maintain the park as an "appropriate and suitable memorial for the Confederacy" by planning the proposed exhibit. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are funding their legal action through member donations, according to a spokesman for the group. The spokesman said thatif the association wants to move forward with the exhibit, the Legislature needs to change the law. Stephens defended the association's plans. "We believe we're on the right side of law and the right side of history, and that we're doing the right thing for Georgia," he said. As legal battles over Stone Mountain play out in court, the Trump administration is taking steps to restore Confederate monuments at the national level. Earlier this year President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the restoration of public monuments that were toppled during 2020 racial justice protests. In line with that executive order, the National Park Service announced Monday it would reinstall a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike in Washington, D.C. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that a Confederate statue would be restored to Arlington National Cemetery. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
San Francisco Chronicle
03-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. 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 the 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. The exhibit 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. ___
Winnipeg Free Press
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Confederacy group sues Georgia park for planning an exhibit on slavery and segregation
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia chapter of a Confederacy group filed a lawsuit this week against a state park with the largest Confederate monument in the country, arguing officials broke state law by planning an exhibit on ties to slavery, segregation and white supremacy. 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 the 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. The exhibit 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. ___ 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.
