The NAACP DeKalb County Branch is out with a list of recommendations for Stone Mountain Park, but removing the massive relief sculpture of Confederate generals is not among them.

Getting rid of the carving would be too controversial and costly now but could be revisited later, the NAACP said. Instead, its members are pushing other changes they say carry a manageable price tag.

VIDEO: Previous coverage on this issue

The proposal would allow local community members to decide whether monuments should remain on their grounds

The NAACP’s recommendations are:

  • Change Confederate-named streets at the park
  • Stop referring to Stone Mountain Park as a memorial to the Confederacy
  • Modify the Historic Square to remove references to a plantation
  • Remove all antebellum references and symbols at the park

These changes would likely require the General Assembly to reverse current laws prohibiting removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association that oversees park operations would also have to sign off.

DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond, who serves on the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, has backed making changes to the park to supply more context to its Confederate symbolism. State Sen. Emanuel Jones is pushing a proposal to build a monument to Martin Luther King Jr. on the mountain's summit.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Orange Crush event organizers George Turner and Steven Smalls at the Tybee Pier on March 6, 2025 on Tybee Island, GA.(Justin Taylor/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Justin Taylor for The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Featured

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff speaks to constituents during a Town Hall his office held on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Atlanta, at Cobb County Civic Center. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Jason Allen)

Credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution