Remarks by Dennis Collard at the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Public Meeting on May 24, 2021
DATE: May 24, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Gabrielle Rogers, media@stonemountainaction.org
Remarks from Dennis Collard, SMAC Co-Founder from the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Meeting on May 24, 2021.
The “Lost Cause” mythology has been exposed for what it is. A massive, shrewd, politically motivated attempt to re-write history. And that is how this park came to be - as opposition to the civil rights movement.
Contrary to the surprisingly inaccurate arguments of a fellow attorney at the April meeting - the law gives this Board broad power to do what is “suitable and appropriate.”
Those words – “suitable and appropriate” – are written right into the law.
And so, this Board has the legal authority to make sweeping changes at this Park – not just incremental changes. Not just moving pieces around the Park.
Nothing of any significance occurred here during the Civil War.
This is not a battlefield or a cemetery.
It is a relic of a political battle that was lost as surely as the Confederacy lost its war against the United States of America.
This Park was conceived to oppose the civil rights movement.
And that is the message that it still sends today.
Any plan that this board adopts should be focused on expanding the Park’s identity as a place of natural beauty and recreation, like all of the other state parks in Georgia, and minimizing the Confederate footprint here.
At this Board’s last public meeting, one gentleman said that people who come to Stone Mountain Park want to see “Gone With the Wind.” That is incorrect. Do you think that the thousands upon thousands of African American families and other people of color who visit the Park want to experience the alternate history of Gone With the Wind?
Let me just say a few things that we all know - except perhaps people who don’t visit the Park - people come here for recreation. Let me say that again. People come here for recreation. The presence of the Confederacy is a profound detriment to this Park.
The Lost Cause mythology has been exposed.
The political origins of this Park have been exposed.
Those who want to memorialize the Confederacy can visit Civil War battlefields. They can visit museums. They can visit Confederate cemeteries.
And, this is America - they can exercise their 1st Amendment rights to say what they will about the Confederacy
But this is a PUBLIC park.
And so I implore you. Bring down the flags. Rename the streets and buildings.
Remove the plaques and signs that perpetuate the Lost Cause myth. And tell the truth.
Exposing the truth about how this all came to be, and removing all aspects of the Confederacy from this Park, is the only truly suitable, appropriate and just action to take.
About the Stone Mountain Action Coalition
The Stone Mountain Action Coalition is an advocacy network of concerned citizens, political leaders, community organizations, faith-based groups and businesses who are dedicated to supporting constructive solutions and ideas that reflect a new, shared vision for the Stone Mountain Park. The Coalition is advocating for short and long-term changes to help build a path forward by developing a community-driven approach to transform the park into a more inclusive, and economically sustainable destination.
For more information visit: www.stonemountainaction.org
Media contact: Gabrielle Rogers, media@stonemountainaction.org