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More activists have called for the removal of Confederate symbols. The Atlanta NAACP chapter organized a powerful protest on July 4 at Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park—home to carvings of three Confederate figures that serve as reminders of the nation’s hateful history.
Officials not only want the monuments to be erased but have demanded Georgia stop supporting Confederate monuments. Their fight comes after several communities have challenged controversial symbols, including activists in Memphis who won in getting the city to tear down two statues last April.
After the success in Memphis, NAACP members are emboldened and eager to see Stone Mountain Park free of slavery symbols. The park, located in Stone Mountain near Atlanta, has a huge mountain depicting Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The NAACP presented a detailed argument for why the monuments should go.
“Join us to protest America’s bigotry at the world’s largest shrine to white supremacy. Express your disapproval of racism, sexism, religious intolerance and discrimination based on national origin,” reads a notice about the July 4 protest on the chapter’s website.
The organization protest also comes after Georgia Democratic gubernatoral primary winner Stacey Abrams said no to the symbols last August.
“Confederate monuments belong in museums where we can study and reflect on that terrible history, not in places of honor across our state…,” Abrams wrote in a series of tweets. “The visible image of Stone Mountain’s edifice remains a blight on our state and should be removed.”
Abrams’ opponent and incumbent Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle has publicly said that he wants Stone Mountain to stand unscathed, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported. The issue of Stone Mountain will likely get more attention at November’s election gets closer. Nevertheless, Confederate symbols are reminders of a painful past for people of color.
Power Protest: Atlanta NAACP Makes Statement About Confederate Monuments was originally published on newsone.com
