State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) recently introduced House Resolution 1351, which would rename “Memorial Drive” as “Veterans Memorial Drive.” Memorial Drive runs through DeKalb and Fulton counties and includes US 78 and SR 410, or Stone Mountain Freeway. Each member of the DeKalb Delegation is a co-sponsor of HR 1351 and proposes that the road have a name that honors all U.S. veterans.
“Citizens of Fulton and DeKalb counties do not want to name one of its main thoroughfares to honor the Confederacy,” said Rep. Oliver. “Memorial Drive links our State Capitol to a Confederate memorial, known for much of the last century to be a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan and the Lost Cause. It is time for the State of Georgia to change the name of Memorial Drive. We, therefore, propose to rename the road as Veterans Memorial Drive in honor of all veterans, not just Confederate soldiers.”
Memorial Drive in Atlanta was first named East Fair Street and is one of the oldest roads in Atlanta. In October 1927, during a time of legalized racial segregation, The Stone Mountain Memorial Association broke ground on Stone Mountain Memorial Drive, lengthening East Fair Street and linking it to Stone Mountain. By 1930, the state of Georgia officially named “East Fair Street” as “Memorial Drive,” creating a 15-mile uninterrupted line running from the Georgia State Capitol to the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial.
This resolution would dedicate the entire portion of State Route 10, State Route 154 and Memorial Drive in Fulton and DeKalb counties as the Veterans Memorial Drive. Further, it would seek to recognize and honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of United States’ veterans, not just veterans of the Confederacy.
Representative Mary Margaret Oliver represents the citizens of District 82, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and currently serves as the Secretary of the Public Health Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources and the Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, Juvenile Justice and the Technology and Infrastructure Innovation committees.
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