Monument to honor King sought at Georgia’s Stone Mountain

Governor Nathan Deal (R) has approved a plan to add a monument to civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.to the top of the mountain.

Officials pointed to a line in King’s famed 1962 “I Have a Dream” speech as their inspiration, when King said, “But not only there; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia”.

The park is already home to the “Confederate Memorial Carving”, a relief featuring Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (AP) – Officials in Georgia say they’re seeking to create a replica of the Liberty Bell atop Stone Mountain near Atlanta to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Many Southerners have long embraced images of the Confederacy, including statues, memorials and the Confederate battle flag, as emblems of regional pride and as a tribute to its Civil War veterans.

The Stone Mountain Authority is in the beginning stages of planning the monumnet and could have a final proposal by December.

“It’s akin to the state flying a Confederate battle flag atop the King Center in Atlanta against the wishes of King supporters.”

“Their initial reaction is very favorable”.

The chief executive officer of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association said, “We think it’s a great addition to the historical offerings we have here”. Stone Mountain was also the place where the Ku Klux Klan had its rebirth in 1915.

The new monument is a wonderful idea, but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to satisfy those who seek to rid the mountain of its Confederate symbolism.

“Both would be altogether inappropriate and disrespectful acts, repugnant to Christian people”, said the statement.

A few critics have suggested in recent years that the enormous Confederate carving, larger than a football field with the Southern generals astride their horses, should be sand-blasted away.