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LOCAL THURSDAY, APRIL 19 -25, 2018 • Page 4 DeKalb NAACP wants Confederate tributes removed from Stone Mountain Park BY CARLA PARKER carla@dekalbchamp.com The DeKalb County NAACP said the organization supports the removal of the Confederate monument on the north side of Stone Mountain, despite other media outlets implying the organization is opposed to the removal. On April 5, the organization issued a statement saying, "Due to the regressive mindset of many Georgians who wish to maintain the status quo or even to go back into the past (neither of which can ever happen) and due to the enormous cost of removing the Confederate-related carving from the north face of the mountain, the NAACP DeKalb does not presently advocate for the carving to be removed." The NAACP then issued another press release April 11 clarifying their position. "Nothing could be further from the truth," branch President Teresa Hardy said. "We are adamantly not opposed to the removal of the monument and wish that the current political environment and the courage existed in the Georgia General Assembly to facilitate such a move." In the first press release, the organization announced its position on the status of Confederate symbols and Stone Mountain Park being designated as a Confederate memorial designation. DeKalb NAACP officials said the park being a memorial to the Confederate States of America is a "blight on Georgia's social and economic advancement and an insult to the descendants of Georgia's former slaves and to the integrity of every Georgian of goodwill." "The Confederate sculpture and the park were both initiatives to perpetuate the myth of White supremacy,"the organization said. "Viewing the park and its antebellum components as a memorial to the Confederate States of America should fill one with shame, rather than with honor or pride." The carving on the mountain portrays three Confederate leaders of the Civil War: President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis and generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and their favorite horses, "Blackjack,""Traveller" The DeKalb County NAACP said the organization supports the removal of the Confederate monument on Stone Mountain. and "Little Sorrel." The carving was conceived by C. Helen Plane, a charter member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).The Venable family, original owners of the mountain, deeded the north face of the mountain to the UDC in 1916. The UDC was given 12 years to complete a large Civil War monument. Gutzon Borglum was commissioned to do the carving but abandoned the project in 1925 and went on to begin Mount Rushmore. American sculptor Augustus Lukeman continued the project until 1928, when further work stopped for 30 years. In 1958, at the urging of Georgia Gov. Marvin Griffin, the Georgia Legislature approved a measure to purchase Stone Mountain for $1,125,000. In 1963, Walker Hancock was selected to complete the carving, and work began in 1964. The carving was completed by Roy Faulkner. The carving was considered complete on March 3,1972. The DeKalb NAACP said in the first press release that until such time as the will and the courage to remove the monument exist, they would like to see the following changes at the park: • Cease all reference to Stone Mountain Parkas a memorial to the Confederacy. • Modify the Historic Square, so that it does not refer to a plantation. • Remove all antebellum references and symbols at the park. • Change the names of all the streets named for Confederates. "The NAACP DeKalb recognizes that the above changes will require the Georgia General Assembly to change the statutes which now protect Georgia's Confederate monuments," the organization said. "The financial cost to make [those] changes, however, is nominal, and the changes require only the will and the courage." DeKalb woman urges commissioners to reduce speed limits Almost a decade ago, 14-year-old Southwest DeKalb High School student Carmon McBride died in a car accident near Kelly Chapel Road. Some in the area have described traffic conditions in the Kelly Chapel Road and Rainbow Drive area as "dangerous"and one DeKalb County woman said she plans to take a stand. Ann Woods, a former substitute teacher who spent time in Southwest DeKalb High School, said she wants to keep south DeKalb students safe by having speed limits reduced in the area. On April 10, Woods spoke in front of county commissioners during a board of commissioners meeting and requested that county officials consider reducing the speed limit in the area. "They drive around here like it's [Interstate] 20. We really need some help with this. It's not fair to our students,"Woods said. "You have to make it safe so students can walk to and from school.This road claimed the life of a student from Southwest DeKalb several years ago and in 2017 a head- on collision sent several to the hospital." In an interview with The Champion, Woods said she's requesting the county reduce the speed limit around the schools to 35 miles per hour. According to Woods, residents in the Rainbow Drive area face traffic conditions which include traffic from six churches, three daycare centers, Greenforest Academy, Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, retailers, Southwest DeKalb High School and Rainbow Elementary. Some roads around schools such as Barack Obama Elementary, Ronald E. McNair Academy and Bob Mathis Elementary in south DeKalb have a speed limit of 35 miles per hour, but around Columbia High School and Columbia Elementary the speed limit is 40 miles per hour. "When you get up to the school zone, the speed limit goes up.That's asinine. It's craziness. Why would you do that when you know you have students walking,"Woods said. Woods said the county has added sidewalks to the area and because of the convenience of walking, county officials should make it safer by reducing the speed limit. "I'm not going to give up on this,"Woods said."I've lived in this community more than 30 years and I've seen the transition of the traffic getting heavier. It's imperative that we make it safe for the joggers, walkers and our students." POLLEN Continued From Page 2A outside early in the day should be cautious. Washing your hands is also important during this time, Ford said. "Just be mindful that pollen is on your clothes and be careful about touching your eyes.There's also pollen on your car and if you touch your car then rub your eyes you've completely infected yourself," Ford said. Ford said she recommends using any number of allergy medicines that are available in stores but warns that individuals should look for medicine that specifically treats the symptoms they are experiencing. "Buy the medicine that treats your symptoms. If you don't need it, don't take it," Ford said.