Confederate Group Sues ‘Truth Telling’ Stone Mountain Exhibit About Slavery, Claims It Violates GA Law

The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is suing to block a proposed “Truth Telling” exhibit at Stone Mountain Park, claiming it violates state law meant to protect Confederate monuments. According to Capital B News, the lawsuit was filed last week, challenging efforts to explore the site’s connections to slavery, segregation, and white supremacy—calling it a direct threat to their version of Southern memory.

Strange.

The move comes just as the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA) pushes forward with plans to reframe the narrative surrounding the nation’s largest Confederate monument, where towering carvings of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson have loomed since the early 20th century.

A Monument Etched in White Supremacy

Capital B reports the carvings—first etched into Stone Mountain in 1915—coincide with the Ku Klux Klan’s rebirth ceremony held at the mountain’s peak that same year. The 3,200-acre park, located in East Atlanta, has long been criticized for glorifying Confederate leaders and ignoring the trauma that legacy holds for Black Georgians and beyond.

Despite its past, the site is now frequented by a diverse crowd. From power-walking the trails to families scaling the rocky summit, the area has transformed into a symbol of dual realities—leisure and legacy. But behind the picturesque views, tensions are resurfacing.

Georgia Allocated $11M to Tell the Full Story

In 2021, amid nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association voted to remove Confederate flags from popular walking trails and approved plans for a new educational center. 

“We’ve just taken our first step today to where we need to go,” Rev. Abraham Mosley, the SMMA’s first Black chairman and an appointee of Governor Brian Kemp, told Captial B reporters.

With $11 million approved by Georgia’s General Assembly in 2023, the SMMA brought on Warner Museums to design the new exhibit. The proposed center is intended to contextualize the Confederacy and dismantle the falsehoods perpetuated by the “Lost Cause” movement.

According to the proposal, the exhibit will examine:

“…how the collective memory created by Southerners in response to the real and imagined threats to the very foundation of Southern society, the institution of slavery… was fertile ground for the development of the Lost Cause movement.”

The Lawsuit: A Battle Over History

Capital B via the Associated Press reports the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans are not satisfied. Their lawsuit cites two specific state codes passed in 2019: Georgia Code 50-3-1(b)(3), which bans the removal, relocation, or concealing of state-owned monuments, and Georgia Code 12-3-192.1, which mandates that Stone Mountain be preserved as a tribute to the Confederacy.

This legal pushback throws the SMMA’s plans into uncertain territory, with conservatives arguing that even contextualizing the monument crosses a line.

Trump-Era Policies May Complicate Things

Capital B notes that the National Park Service recently introduced signage with QR codes encouraging visitors to report any content that may seem “negative about either past or living Americans.” The initiative ties into former President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which was issued through Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

The order calls for a review of all public monuments and educational signage removed or altered since January 1, 2020—raising questions about whether it could be weaponized to block efforts like the Stone Mountain “Truth Telling” exhibit. In that same year, even the modern-day Black Panther Party had to make their presence known at Stone Mountain in 2020 with a peaceful protest.

The Legacy Debate Isn’t Over

While there’s been no official word on how Trump’s order will impact the SMMA’s exhibit, the lawsuit showcases that Confederate defenders are still fighting to control the narrative. In the meantime, Black communities and advocates across Georgia continue pushing for public spaces that reflect truth—not whitewashed nostalgia.

Stone Mountain may be a scenic hike for some, but for others, it remains a battleground of memory, identity, and justice.

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