SPLC Action Fund Joins Stone Mountain Action Coalition in Calling on Georgia State House to Remove Requirement for Stone Mountain Park to Operate as a Confederate Memorial
ATLANTA – In 1958, in the face of a growing Civil Rights Movement, the State of Georgia purchased Stone Mountain and later passed legislation requiring that it operate as a memorial to the Confederacy, fulfilling an effort started in the 1910’s by the Daughters of the Confederacy and supported by the KKK. As noted by the Atlanta History Center, the creation of the largest Confederate memorial in the world was part of a larger “political movement, trying to deny Black Georgians the right to vote, fighting school integration, and doing their best to maintain the racial status quo.”
Shockingly, the laws that created the park as a Confederate memorial and required it to sell Confederate memorabilia remain in place. Several State House Representatives from DeKalb County, home to the park, have introduced House Bill 794 that would repeal the Confederate mandate and, in keeping with the purpose of other state parks, refocus Stone Mountain Park as a place for outdoor recreation and learning about the natural environment.
The State House Representatives from DeKalb County who sponsored HB 794 now need our help to get a hearing for the bill before the House Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by State Rep. John LaHood of Valdosta. You can find contact information for your State Rep at this link.
CALL TO ACTION
The SPLC Action Fund has written a letter to members of the House Governmental Affairs Committee, calling for a hearing on HB 794.
We ask you to please call and write to Chairman LaHood, the members of the committee, and your State House Representative calling on them to schedule a hearing for HB 794 early in the current legislative session. Time is of the essence! The 2024 session of the Georgia state legislature, which opened on Monday, January 8th, only runs for 40 legislative days, and will likely close by late March. If your member is a sponsor of HB 794, please remember to thank them for their leadership. (See list of sponsors below.)
Sample Letter/Email/Telephone Script:
“My name is _____ and I live and vote in State Representative _______’s district. I’m writing/calling to request that he/she/they ask Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman LaHood to schedule a hearing for HB 794, which would remove the requirement that Stone Mountain Park operate as a memorial to the Confederacy, as early as possible in the current session of the General Assembly. The acts of legislation that created the park as a Confederate memorial were passed at the height of the Civil Rights movement and were clearly designed to maintain the racial status quo of the time. There is no excuse for continuing to have such divisive and hurtful regulations on the books. Thank you for considering my request.”
Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee contact information:
John LaHood, 175th District, Chairman, john.lahood@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-5105
Victor Anderson, 10th District, Vice Chairman, victor.anderson@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0325
Darlene Taylor, 173rd District, Secretary, darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov; (229) 225-9943
Teri Anulewicz, 42nd District, Member, teri.anulewicz@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0116
Debra Bazemore, 69th District, Member, debra.bazemore@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0202
Shaw Blackmon, 146th District, Member, shaw.blackmon@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-5103
Rhonda Burnough, 77th District, Member, rhonda.burnough@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0116
J Collins, 71st District, Member, j.collins@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-5132
Barry Fleming, 125th District, Member, barry.fleming@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0254
Houston Gaines, 120th District, Member, houston.gaines@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-5025
Joseph Gullett, 19th District, Member, joseph.gullett@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0178
Rob Leverett, 123rd District, Member, rob.leverett@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0213
Eddie Lumsden, 12th District, Member, eddie.lumsden@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-7850
Mesha Mainor, 56th District, Member, mesha.mainor@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0254
Phil Olaleye, 59th District, Member, phil.olaleye@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0220
Mary Margaret Oliver, 82nd District, Member, mary.oliver@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0265
Alan Powell, 33rd District, Member, alan.powell@house.ga.gov; (404) 463-3793
Shea Roberts, 52nd District, Member, shea.roberts@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0298
Steven Sainz, 180th District, Member, steven.sainz@house.ga.gov; (404) 657-1803
Brad Thomas, 21st District, Member, brad.thomas@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0152
Mary Frances Williams, 37th District, Member, maryfrances.williams@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0287
Sponsors of House Bill 794
Rep. Billy Mitchell, Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, Rep. Karla Drenner, Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, Rep. Omari Crawford, Rep. Karen Luton
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About the SPLC Action Fund
SPLC Action Fund is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. SPLC Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate organization to the Southern Poverty Law Center. For more information, visit www.splcactionfund.org.
