It is understandable, following the tragic event in Charleston, for Americans to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from government buildings. The Civil War is over. Yes, the Confederate flag may represent the "South," but it also represents separatism, racism, and injustice. United States government buildings should respect the unity of the country by not flying the Confederate flag. However, removing the faces from Stone Mountain is not necessary.
Yes, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis were men who may have acted in intolerable ways. However, it happened. We cannot escape our history, no matter how much we try. Removing the faces off Stone Mountain does not do anything to help solve the racial issues facing Georgia. In all honesty, it furthers them.
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For a greater point of reference, let's think of Berlin. The center of the Holocaust: The greatest form of racism and injustice in the entire world. The greatest scar in history. A period of time that should never be forgotten so that it never happens again. Germany is well aware of this, and they do not try to hide what happened on their soil. Instead, they work to educate their citizens and tourists. Why hide from their past, when they can embrace it and work towards a better future? Therefore, when you visit Berlin you will find the Jewish Historical Museum, the Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe, and even Villa Minoux, where "The Final Solution" was created and stated the plan for the extermination of Jews.
In addition, when you walk down the street, there are medallions in front of every house where a Jew or other person was killed during the Holocaust. The Germans do not dwell on what has happened. Instead, they work to foster relations between the people living in the city. Removing the faces off of Stone Mountain is removing a piece of our history and removing a reminder of why we are united - despite recent happenings. Yes, racism is still a problem, but look how far we have come. The Stone Mountain memorial is a constant reminder of the work that has been done and the work we have left to do. It's a challenge, not a burden.
Now let's also think logistically. The Atlanta Chapter of NAACP, the group calling for the removal, released a press release stating:
It is time for Georgia and other Southern states to end the glorification of slavery and white supremacy paid for and maintained with the taxes of all its citizens. NAACP Atlanta chapter is calling for the immediate removal of all Confederate Memorial Monuments maintained by the state of Georgia using taxpayer money.
However, they are incredibly wrong. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association self-supports Stone Mountain, not Georgia taxes. If the faces were to be taken off, though, would the Association be able to pay for it? Probably not. Therefore, a large sum of tax payers money would be spent on sandblasting tools and construction workers. While this does provide short term jobs for a limited amount of people, is the cost of tax payers' money really worth it? Not to mention the impact it will have on the park from the construction.
Instead, wouldn't it be better if we left the faces and spent that money on bettering the culture in Georgia so that it is more accepting and fair to minorities? That to me sounds more logical. History is a part of us; it makes us. We cannot keep making the same mistakes as our forefathers -- instead we need to be progressive and intelligent. Removing the faces on Stone Mountain is petty and unnecessary.
