NAACP objects to MLK Drive location for Civil War marker

[The Straight Story]

NAACP objects to MLK Drive location for Civil War marker

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the street named after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will soon bear a marker commemorating the burning of Atlanta.

The Georgia Historical Society will install the historical marker Monday in front of the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said it doesn’t mind remembering history, but it would have preferred a different location.

“It seems to be honoring something that reminds us of some tragic occurrences that happened to our people at the time. The whole war itself centered around the slave issue,” said R.L. White, president of the NAACP’s Atlanta branch. “We accept that it’s history but would like to see it done somewhere else than the heart of the civil rights historic district. It’s kind of tragic that the state is choosing that location.”

W. Todd Groce, president of the Historical Society, said the site was picked because it is where the burning took place.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/naacp-objects-to-mlk-900802.html