First Black Man To Chair Stone Mountain Memorial Association

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA — A Black man will now head the board that decides how Stone Mountain Park, home of the world's largest Confederate monument, will make decisions.

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed the Rev. Abraham Mosley — the first Black man to hold the position in the association's 63-year history — as the new chairman of the SMMA board this week. Mosley is a well-known community advocate and pastor at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Athens.

"Reverend Abraham Mosley has dedicated his life to serving his community and our great state," said Governor Kemp. "After nearly 47 years of pastoring Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Athens, I appointed Reverend Mosley to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in 2019, where he has been an active, passionate board member. With this expanded role, I am confident Reverend Mosley will continue to rely on his experience in bringing people together to lead the Stone Mountain Memorial Association."

Mosley, who has pastored Mount Pleasant Baptist Church since 1974, said he plans to take a measured approach but will do all he can “to move the ball forward,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“Certainly, there are mounting problems that have been brought before us. But we’ve got to handle them one at a time,” Mosley said. “We’ve got to be patient. I don’t want to be the man who prayed, ‘Lord, give me patience, but give it to me right now.’”

The memorial association is a state authority charged by law with "proper development, management, preservation and protection of Stone Mountain as a Confederate Memorial and public recreation area," per the SMMA website — essentially binding it by law to keep and maintain a tribute to the Confederacy.

But this could be changing with a new leader, and with meetings on the calendar for the first time since November. The board is set to meet Monday at 1 p.m., including a segment for SMMA CEO Bill Stephens to give a presentation outlining new goals.