Atlanta NAACP Plans Large July 4 protest at Stone Mountain

The Atlanta chapter of the NAACP wants the carvings of Confederate leaders gone from the side of Stone Mountain.

On July 4, the group is planning a large protest, beginning at 7 a.m. The group will meet at a rally point in Stone Mountain Village visitor’s center and then march about two miles to the top of the mountain.

“Join us to protest America’s bigotry at the world’s largest shrine to white supremacy. Express your disapproval of racism, sexism, religious intolerance and discrimination based on national origin,” reads a notice about the rally on the chapter’s website.

The north face of Stone Mountain depicts three Confederate figures — Confederacy President Jefferson Davis and generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Work on the carving began in 1923, according to the park’s website. It is 400 feet above ground and the entire carved surface covers about three acres. It is larger than Mount Rushmore.

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On Tuesday, commenting on a tweet about the NAACP’s rally, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle — who is now in a runoff race for the Republican nomination for governor — said, “When I’m governor, I’ll fight to preserve Stone Mountain as the monument and cultural attraction it was intended to be. I’ll work on behalf of all Georgians, but I will also stand up to the extremists who think we have to sandblast the past to move into the future.”

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