Tell the SMMA, Governor Kemp and the United Daughters of the Confederacy to STOP Confederate Valor Park
While communities throughout our country came together this Independence Day, Stone Mountain Park’s “Fantastic 4th Celebration” continued to normalize and mislead the public about the darkest, most un-American and racist periods of our country’s history. As the largest Confederate memorial and shrine to white supremacy in the world, the Park’s glorification of the Confederacy and defiance to civil rights is not just un-American, but anti-American. With your help, one day Stone Mountain Park will stand for freedom -- not treason, suppression, or division.
At the last Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA) meeting, the board approved a plan to move forward with the construction of Confederate Valor Park, a new 40 acre space that will combine the existing Valor Confederate monument and with the problematic UDC Flag Terrace that is currently located at the base of the Walk Up Trail. As noted in CEO Bill Stephens’ presentation, the purpose of Confederate Valor Park is to 1) secure and protect the Confederate flags, 2) closer associate the Confederate flags and carving and 3) provide a better photo opportunity of the Park’s Confederate symbols. This new Confederate memorial area will serve as an even stronger flashpoint of racism, division, violence, and provide hate groups yet another space to venerate Confederate ideology in the defense of hate and white supremacy
Because SMMA has turned back toward the Jim Crow era, vendors have left, finding new ones will be difficult, and Georgia taxpayers are on the hook for maintaining and renovating Stone Mountain as it stands.
We anticipate the construction of Valor Park will begin soon and we need your help to stop it! There are three critical stakeholders that can prevent the construction of Confederate Valor Park.
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association: The SMMA board which approved the plan and continues to use taxpayer funds, clearly has the authority to halt the construction of Confederate Valor Park.
Governor Kemp: The SMMA gets their marching orders from the Governor who will review the plans for Confederate Valor Park. The Governor also appoints all SMMA board members.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC): The UDC is responsible for the Confederate carving (they actually wanted the Ku Klux Klan to be included!) and donated the Confederate flag terrace and can request that the flags and terrace be returned.
CALL TO ACTION
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; 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; udc@hqudc.org; officemanager@hqudc.org; Brian.Kemp@georgia.gov; Trey.Kilpatrick@georgia.gov; Burt.Brantley@georgia.gov
Call: Bill Stephens (Park CEO): (770) 498-5611, Governor Kemp: (404) 656-1776
Sample message/script: I am contacting you to request that you STOP all plans to construct the 40-acre Confederate Valor Park at Stone Mountain. Valor Park is NOT fiscally responsible given your annual revenue is down 56% even with your continued use of taxpayer dollars and it will PROMOTE white supremacy through yet another reiteration of the Lost Cause narrative. The only way to move forward is to begin taking down Confederate flags, renaming streets associated with slaveholders, Klan members, and the Confederacy. These actions do NOT erase history, but create tangible evidence that we have LEARNED from history. As a proud Georgian, I urge you to take action to STOP construction of Confederate Valor Park.
No matter where we live in Georgia, we want our parks and recreation areas to be free of political messaging and sanctuaries for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. Our tax dollars should not be used to create more monuments to a time in history that centers the enslavement of Black people. It is past time to restore Stone Mountain to its natural state to become a place that welcomes ALL Georgians.
