Support HB 243 — Stone Mountain Action Coalition

CALL ON STATE HOUSE TO SUPPORT HB 243 & MAKE STONE MOUNTAIN PARK MORE INCLUSIVE, ATTRACTIVE, & ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE

In 1958, in the face of a growing Civil Rights movement, the State of Georgia purchased Stone Mountain and passed legislation requiring that it operate as a memorial to the Confederacy, fulfilling an effort started in the 1910’s by the United 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 243 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, along with an unbiased telling of the mountain’s history.

The State House Representatives who sponsored HB 243 now need our help to get a hearing for the bill before the House Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by State Rep. Victor Anderson of Cornelia. You can find contact information for your State Rep at this link: and find contact information for members of the House Governmental Affairs Committee below as well as at this link:

Please call or write to Chairman Anderson, the members of the committee, and your StateHouse Representative calling on them to schedule a hearing for HB 243 early in the current legislative session. Time is of the essence! The 2025 session of the Georgia state legislature, which opened on Monday, January 13th, only runs for 40 legislative days and will close on April 4th. If your member is a sponsor of HB 243, please remember to thank them for their leadership.

Sponsors of House Bill 243: Rep. Billy Mitchell, Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, Rep. Angela Moore, Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, Rep. Scott Holcomb, Rep. Karen Luton

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 Anderson to schedule a hearing for HB 243, regarding Stone Mountain Park, as early as possible in the current session of the General Assembly.

This bill would replace the mandate that Stone Mountain Park operates as a memorial to the Confederacy. The legislation that created the park as a Confederate memorial was passed at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and was clearly designed to support the unequal racial status quo of the time. HB 243 will give a new purpose to the park, one that will appeal to a larger segment of the public and improve the park’s economic sustainability. The new mission will acknowledge the natural and unique beauty of Stone Mountain, and ‘educate the public about the natural history of the mountain and its environment, and the history of human interaction with the mountain and its surroundings.’

Thank you for considering my request.”

Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee Contact Information

Chairman Victor Anderson, 10th District,

victor.anderson@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0325

Vice Chairman Brad Thomas, 21st District,

brad.thomas@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0152

Secretary Tim Fleming,

114th District, tim.fleming@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0188

Member Solomon Adesanya, 43rd District,

solomon.adesanya@house.ga.gov: (404) 656-0220

Member Debra Bazemore, 69th District,

debra.bazemore@house.ga.gov; (404) 656-0202