DeKalb NAACP backs removing Confederate symbols at Stone Mountain but not the sculpture

The NAACP DeKalb County Branch is out with a list of recommendations for Stone Mountain Park, but removing the massive relief sculpture of Confederate generals is not among them.

Getting rid of the carving would be too controversial and costly now but could be revisited later, the NAACP said. Instead, its members are pushing other changes they say carry a manageable price tag. 

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The NAACP’s recommendations are:

• Change Confederate-named streets at the park
• Stop referring to Stone Mountain Park as a memorial to the Confederacy
• Modify the Historic Square to remove references to a plantation
• Remove all antebellum references and symbols at the park

These changes would likely require the General Assembly to reverse current laws prohibiting removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association that oversees park operations would also have to sign off.

• AJC Flashback Photos: Stone Mountain through the years

DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond, who serves on the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, has backed making changes to the park to supply more context to its Confederate symbolism. State Sen. Emanuel Jones is pushing a proposal to build a monument to Martin Luther King Jr. on the mountain’s summit.