Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, October 22-28,2015
Page 5A
Bell tower at Stone Mountain Park a worthwhile option
Changes to Stone Moun
tain Park are in the wind.
If Gov. Nathan Deal has
his way, a bell tower com
memorating Martin Luther
King Jr. will be added to the
monolith, according to news
reports. Of course, the park,
which has become Georgias
No. 1 tourist attraction and
where millions go annually
for vacation, family reunions,
special events and daily exer
cise, is also home to a memo
rial to the Confederacy—a
relief sculpture that covers
three acres with the images
of Confederate heroes Jef
ferson Davis, Robert E. Lee
and Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson.
The carving has become
gale@dekalbchamp.com
Lifestyle Editor
a controversial aspect of the
park with some saying it is
a historical tribute to those
who fought for what they be
lieved during the Civil War
and others saying it honors
supporters of slavery and op
pression and is offensive.
No matter the op
tion taken regarding Stone
Mountain and the sculpture
(leaving it as is, adding to
it, removing it), plenty of
people are going to be un
happy. Cries of indifference,
caving to one special interest
group or another will come.
However it seems fitting to
proceed with an option that
attempts to appease as many
people as possible, knowing
that no option likely exists
that will satisfy everyone.
The bell tower and a
planned permanent exhibit
of Black soldiers who served
in the Civil War will go a
long way to better tell the
complete story of the fight
between the South and
North and how Blacks strug
gle to overcome racism and
oppression.
Recognizing history of
ten can be tricky. How we
feel about history changes
greatly over time.
However, facts cannot be
changed. Americans fought
against one another over
slavery and states’ rights and
many died on both sides.
And this country is now a
markedly different place—al
though still struggling with
major issues of race—be
cause of it.
The carvings on the
mountain are as much a
symbol of a bygone era as
many other artifacts of that
time. It’s a historically ac
curate capture of a time
and way of thinking, but it
shouldn’t be the only things
represented and commemo
rated there.
Adding a bell tower in
tribute to King is an appro
priate way to enhance recog
nition of America’s Civil War
history and the Confedera
cy’s place in it as well as what
resulted from that conflict
that led to where we are to
day and where we are headed
in the future.
= ONE MAN'S OPINION =
Let Freedom Ring!
“Let freedom ring from
Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Look
out Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every
hill and molehill of Mississip
pi. From every mountainside,
let freedom ring’’ Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., nearing the
conclusion of his “I Have
a Dream” speech, from the
steps of the Lincoln Memo
rial at the conclusion of the
March on Washington, Aug.
28, 1963.
Work was set to begin
on the Lincoln Memorial in
1913, nearly three years after
Congress passed enabling
legislation in 1910. Discus
sion to construct a national
monument in his honor
had begun only two years
after his assassination
inl867. Congress initially ap
propriated $300,000, and the
monument took nearly six
years to complete after the
start of construction in 1914.
In 1915, Mrs. Helen
Plane, a president emeritus
and charter member of the
United Daughters of the
Confederacy began public
efforts to create and fund a
memorial to the Confederacy
on Georgia’s Stone Mountain.
Plane had read the idea in a
letter to the editor of a major
New York newspaper. The
Stone Mountain Association
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
was created to handle fund
raising, and work first began
on the carving in 1923. The
original artist and supervisor
of the carving, Gutzon Bor-
glum, began work, complet
ing General Lee’s head for a
public unveiling in January
of 1924. Later disputes over
work progress, fundraising
and expenditures caused
Borglum to resign the project
and leave Georgia. He later
moved to the Dakotas and
oversaw the creation and
sculptures on Mount Rush-
more.
While the Lincoln Memo
rial fast rose in prominence
to become one of our nation’s
most iconic monuments and
possibly the most popular
destination on the Mall in
Washington, D.C., work on
the Stone Mountain carving
languished for decades.
In August of 1963, at the
height of the Civil Rights
Movement, the March on
Washington brought 250,000
people to the Mall, and to the
steps of the Lincoln Memo
rial to witness the historic “I
Have a Dream” speech by Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
King closed his remarks
with a hopeful call for free
dom to ring across this na
tion, and specifically across
many mountain tops of his
native south. He made spe
cific choices in that short list,
including “Stone Mountain
of Georgia.” Though work on
the Confederate memorial
and carving had been un
derway for decades, the state
of Georgia only purchased
the mountain and hundreds
of surrounding acres in
1958. Georgia also ended
the long-held easement and
access to the mountain top
for rallies held by the Klu
Klux Klan by the mountain’s
former owners, the Venable
family.
Two years ago, on the
50th anniversary of the
speech, a small crowd of
DeKalb and Georgia’s civil
rights community leaders
gathered atop the mountain
to ring bells, commemorat
ing the anniversary and im
portance of the speech, cred
ited with being the critical
catalyst to spurring Congress
to pass the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
This began discussions,
and the recent decision
by the modern day Stone
Mountain Memorial Associ
ation (SMMA), to construct
a Freedom Tower and Free
dom Bell monument, honor
ing Dr. King and his great
speech, atop Stone Moun
tain. A second addition to
the park will be a permanent
museum exhibit honoring
the contributions, sacrifices
and casualties of thousands
of African-American soldiers
in both the Union and Con
federate armies who fought
during the Civil War.
“We are into addition,
not subtraction here at Stone
Mountain Park. This new
monument and exhibit just
expand the number of im
portant stories to be told,
of Georgia’s history, as well
as our nation’s. We are the
state’s most visited destina
tion for many reasons, and
now we will be adding two
more,” said Bill Stephens,
CEO, SMMA.
As with the Lincoln Me
morial and Stone Mountain
Confederate Memorials,
there will occasionally be
critics and detractors. But
it is very difficult to argue
against these additions offer
ing a more complete telling
of Georgia’s history, from the
Civil War through the Civil
Rights era.
We can’t know what Dr.
King might think of this, but
his family has been contacted
and is supportive of the
monument. Words of sup
port have also already come
from one of Dr. King’s key
allies in the movement, 94-
year old Rev. Joseph Lowery,
“It is amazing. I think it is a
good idea, introducing a new
era to the Deep South. They
are placing Martin Luther
King in a place where he
ought to be, where I never
dreamed he would be. This is
striking.”
Amen to that brother,
amen to that. Let Freedom
Ring!
Bill Crane also serves as
a political analyst and com
mentator for Channel 2’s Ac
tion News, WSB-AM News/
Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM,
as well as a columnist for The
Champion, Champion Free
Press and Georgia Trend.
Crane is a DeKalb native
and business owner, living in
Scottdale. You can reach him
or comment on a column at
bill. csicrane@gmail. com.
#SianuimNG {Stall II • Speak lit}
