CALL TO ACTION:
Vote on Significant and Immediate Changes!
View CEO Bill Stephen’s full presentation. Before sharing the proposal, Stephens acknowledged the following:
The Park lost $27 million between 2019 and 2020 and the 56% drop in revenue is NOT sustainable
Marriott, which operates the Park’s only hotel and conference center, has decided to leave in 2022
“All interested potential vendor/partner replacements indicate they will NOT bid on the RFP, without the State of Georgia dealing with issues revolving around the Confederacy”
Proposed changes:
A new exhibit in Confederate Memorial Hall dedicated to the “honest telling of the whole story” noting the Park’s role in the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan and the Lost Cause campaign to promote white supremacy ideas
“Securing and protecting” the Park’s Confederate flags at a new “Valor Park” with a better view of the world’s largest Confederate monument
Rename Confederate Hall to “Heritage Hall”
Centralize and consolidate Confederate symbols into a 40 acre space
Redesign SMMA’s current logo to remove the Confederate figures
Construct a Faith & Freedom Chapel at the top of the mountain
Rename generic streets to honor significant Georgians (keeping all streets named after Confederate figures)
Rename Park trails and lakes named after Confederate and Ku Klux Klan figures
CALL TO ACTION
Contact the SMMA Board and Park Stakeholders
Emails (send one email to everyone): b.stephens@stonemountainpark.org; e.zimmerman@stonemountainpark.org; d.studdard@stonemountainpark.org; d.blihovde@stonemountainpark.org; mosley5544@bellsouth.net; rsmith@smithliss.com; jeff.cown@dnr.ga.gov; rmartinez@loganville-ga.gov; rnroberts@windstream.net; CCollier@Ely-Corp.com; mark.williams@gadnr.org; csanders@eastmetrocid.com; cmeadows@nrahq.org; shsellman@coca-cola.com; allen.poole@gohs.ga.gov; mjaronski@georgia.org; mlipson@mjcpa.com; diana.pope@gsfic.ga.gov; kim.site@gsfic.ga.gov; lee.mcelhannon@gsfic.ga.gov
Call: Bill Stephens (Park CEO): (770) 498-5611, Governor Kemp: (404) 656-1776
Sample message/script: I am contacting you to demand that the Stone Mountain Memorial Association board vote on significant and immediate changes at their May meeting that include: removing Confederate flags, renaming Confederate/Ku Klux Klan streets and features, and ending maintenance of the Confederate carving. It is completely unacceptable for a taxpayer supported public park to serve as the world’s largest Confederate memorial and shrine to white supremacy. The SMMA board has the authority, facts, plan and resources to immediately make these changes and expect them to do the right thing. Failure to act will keep the Park on the wrong side of history and in serious financial jeopardy.
Shareable social media posts: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Call to action page: https://stonemountainaction.org/ceo-proposal
