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Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

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Stone Mountain and the KKK

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With giant carvings of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis chiseled into its granite face, Stone Mountain in Georgia has long been an enduring symbol of racism and white supremacy. In fact, the mayor used to be the imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

So for many in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the name of Stone Mountain became a rallying point.

Tape:

  • Martin Luther King, speaking at the March on Washington in 1963.

Just this past election day in Stone Mountain, part of Dr. King’s dream was realized. City council member Chuck Burris defeated two term incumbent mayor Pat Wheeler to become the town’s first African American mayor in its 152-year history.

Guest:

  • Chuck Burris, the Mayor-elect of Stone Mountain who is finishing a six year stint as city council member

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