US park celebrates the Confederacy of Slavery face to face Race Issues News

Stone Mountain Park, Georgia, United States – A state park that houses the Confederacy as the largest monument in the world – the insurgency that was defeated by the slave states that led to the American Civil War – is examining changes in criticism and declining revenues that could result from the debate.

The highlight of the call for change is a giant carving on the north face Stone Mountain, About 25km (15.5 miles) northeast of Atlantis.

Carved into a solid rock carved 122 meters (400 feet) above the ground, the three most famous Confederate figures are depicted on horseback: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and two generals, Robert E Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, troops in a revolt against the United States from 1861-1865 which he directed, which cost the lives of approximately 750,000 Americans.

As the largest bas-relief carving in the world, the images are 28 meters long (91 feet) and 58 meters (190 feet) wide.

The work, which was completed in 1972 after nearly five decades of construction work, has served to spark debate over the role of public land symbols celebrating those who fought to perpetuate slavery in the United States.

The mountain was also a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915. Owner Sam Venable, a member of the Clan, allowed for decades the meetings of the white supremacist group here. A lake of property still bears his name.

Today, the stone plaque leads to memorial meadows and gardens honoring the southern states that withdrew from the Union, with markers describing the role each played in the war. Roads such as Jefferson Davis Drive, Robert E Lee Boulevard and Stonewall Jackson Drive cross the park. Hikers walking to the top of the rocky mountain must pass a row of Confederate flags located near the base of the trail.

The constant display of these symbols has prompted calls for a review, which increased worldwide in 2020 protests Against the treatment of blacks in the United States. Demonstrations prompted communities in the South to remove or relocate relics and celebrations of the confederation, many say they celebrate white supremacy and tell only a narrow story about the South.

“The Civil War is a small part of Southern history, and yet our memorial landscape dominates,” said Adam Domby, assistant professor of history at Charleston College in South Carolina and The False Cause: Fraud, Fabrication, and White supremacy in Confederate memory.

“The history of the South is not just the history of white men. More importantly, the history of the South is not just four years into the 1860s. It goes much further and includes local Americans, African Americans and all kinds of races. It’s not just war. “

But soon the change will be on the way to Stone Mountain.

The first black president of Stone Mountain

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which runs the park, is reviewing the list of reforms this month. In April, Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, pastor Abraham Mosley, pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, was named president of the association, the first black person to hold office in its history.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, 75-year-old Mosley explained his vision for making changes in the park. He called for the addition of new street names within the park, such as “Liberty,” “United,” and “Freedom,” but stopped calling for the removal of streets designated by Confederate leaders.

He hopes to build a “bell of freedom” pavilion at the top of the mountain to call Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” in 1963 to call “freedom from Georgia’s Stone Mountain.”

Mosley also supports the designation of the “Confederate Hall” as the “Memorial Hall,” and adds exhibits that describe the contributions of black and South American Americans and recognize the white supremacists of white property.

“We have to tell the whole story,” Mosley said.

Confederate flags fly with the U.S. flag in Stone Mountain Park [Cristina Moody/Al Jazeera]

Mosley wants to move Confederate flags flying at the base of the main mountain trail closer to the board so that those who want to visit the park without being influenced by Confederate symbols should not see them.

In terms of carving, however, Mosley is opposed to changing the law, removing, covering, or dissolving it.

“I’m not about to change size. It’s history. That’s one of the biggest carvings in the world. It is the past. The past is the past. I’m worried today, ”Mosley said.

“I’m not too worried about not doing workshops in the mountains. I think the carving identifies the stone mountain. If that carving was turned off, what would you see? The big rock. “

The proposals spark discussion

In April the association heard a formal plan to make changes to the park’s Confederate symbols. Association CEO Bill Stephens announced a number of proposals to join Mosley’s support to add new signage and exhibits, but made no suggestions to address the workshop, which under Georgia law “can never be changed, removed, hidden or obscured” and maintained. “all the time.”

However, the proposals that still receive the vote of the management do not satisfy both sides of the debate.

Priest Abraham Mosley is the first black president of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association [File: Ron Harris/AP Photo]

The changes would not go far enough, said Derrica Williams, a founding member of the Stone Mountain Action Coalition, which advocates for the park to be more inclusive.

“Honestly, it’s a slap in the face … It’s been an insult,” Williams said at a meeting Stephens gave the plan.

“The remarkable appearance of these Confederate memorials is a coherent memorial to all of us who should be able to enjoy this park without explaining the darkest period in the history of this country,” said William, a black man.

The coalition has called for a long list of changes, including renaming the streets designated by the Confederates, throwing Confederate flags in the park and lowering them to museums, and adding contextual signage.

“My tax dollars pay a park to continue celebrating a period in this country’s history that I was less than 100 percent human,” Williams said. “I’m paying without respect.”

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, mostly white men, ancestors associated with soldiers who fought for the South during the Civil War, were also present at the April meeting, where they changed their signage or opposed the removal of Confederate symbols. .

“We’re not happy about that,” said Martin O’Toole, a spokesman for the Georgia chapter of the group. “Putting it in context is an excuse to attack something they can’t destroy.”

More than one Confederate Park

Undoubtedly, the most famous Confederate monuments form only a small part of the 3,200-hectare (1,295-acre) wide park.

The property has a theme park, a 4-D movie theater, a golf course and a campsite. On Saturday nights the park puts on the famous “Lasershow Spectacular” that features Star Wars characters, a 1980s music montage, tributes to Southern states, and a salute to the American armed services.

The park overlooks the stone mountain. Atlanta, Georgia, the horizon can be seen in the distance [Cristina Moody/Al Jazeera]

The entertainment and hospitality companies that operate these facilities plan to step aside to avoid linking them to the debate, citing “protests and divisions” by a major vendor as a reason to attend.

The park also serves as a place for play and recreation for the locals, who are increasingly non-white. The mountainous DeKalb County is more than 50 percent black, with the growth of Latino and Asian populations. The Stone Mountain town next to the site is nearly 80 percent black.

Last weekend evening, Daphane and Allen Gochett, a black couple living nearby, sat down with a picnic and a bottle of wine to celebrate Mother’s Day. They said they visit the park frequently, but are horrified when they pass the flags of the Confederate Flags near the entrance to the footpath.

“It’s a nice place to visit, but you have to get it out of your head,” Allen Gochette said.

“I would love to see a change,” Daphane Gochett added. “I don’t like to see flags flying. How can I still heal the pains of my ancestors or the pains I am currently suffering with my people? “

“You can’t heal if you keep remembering. You can’t move forward.”