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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGeorgia activists seek to remove 'Stone Mountain', the 'granddaddy of Confederate monuments'
Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial often called the granddaddy of all Confederate monuments and a former Ku Klux Klan meeting place is once again at the center of an ongoing debate over what some see as a symbol of southern heritage and American history and others see as a depiction of white supremacy etched into stone.
The fight over the monument, which is located in Dekalb County, Georgia and prior to COVID-19's spread could get more than 4 million visitors in a year, is unfolding as the U.S. grapples with civil unrest following the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Cities across America are being forced to reckon with a dark history and are facing growing pressure to confront the racist past of confederate leaders honored in monuments across the country.
Though many statues and monuments have been quickly uprooted, both willingly by government officials or forcefully by protestors, some -- like Georgias Stone Mountain--- the largest confederate memorial in the country which was christened with a cross burning when the Ku Klux Klan initiated 700 new members in 1948--are almost indelible.
Calls for racial equality have swelled in Georgia following the death of Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks. As part of the growing movement, state officials are once again facing pressure to remove the controversial carvings etched into the historic monument.
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/georgia-activists-seek-remove-stone-mountain-granddaddy-confederate-154456160.html
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)At a minimum, I bet the carving could be covered with hydroponically grown Kudzu in less than 3 months.
jimfields33
(16,050 posts)I looked it up and its a tourist attraction. Costs 20 bucks to see it and various add ins with cost of course. Its a huge money maker. They should donate every penny. This is crazy to make money off this awful display.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)most are offended to some degree, or laugh at the Heritage of Hatred it represents.
hlthe2b
(102,468 posts)Apparently, that is not possible, so I really don't know what they will do.
This article explains some of the challenges. Unfortunately under a paywall.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2020/07/04/monuments-fall-confederate-mountain-carving-has-size-its-side/vaYEjXezxWXW5Hhh7QyBBK/story.html
Sorry, i can't cut and paste from it, but the one solution that might get past the obstacles (including the protective GA law which does not allow removal, but does not mandate MAINTENANCE) is to let nature take its course (end maintenance and let natural foliage do its thing).
Ferrets are Cool
(21,112 posts)Aristus
(66,487 posts)our family reunion at Stone Mountain in 1993.
What do you get for inviting your Kennedy-style liberal branch of the family to the reunion?
Me, seeing Stone Mountain for the first time and saying out loud: "Those are the worst portraits of Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman I've ever seen!" and my family frantically shushing me and saying "You can't talk like that down here!"
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)but its creepy and deplorable.
The mountain was owned by an honest to God KKK leader before it was sold to the state. They held Klan rallies there frequently.
I hope the movement to do some about it is successful.