The Future of Confederate Monuments
Reflecting a Conversation Between Retired DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger and Atlanta Attorney Dennis G . Collard . * This article has been condensed and edited for clarity .
18 July / August 2021
Judge Seeliger : For years , Dennis , I walked by the Confederate monument in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur and thought it was a war memorial . As a veteran from Seattle who had not been raised in the South , I never gave it much thought . I didn ’ t even read the inscription .
I bet many lawyers in Georgia – particularly white lawyers – walk by these courthouse monuments with the same mentality – we don ’ t think about how they relate to us or people coming to these halls of justice seeking fairness under the law .
But recently , as I ’ ve learned more about the monuments ’ history and meaning , I wonder , how many bar members are putting themselves in the shoes of a Black person who has to walk by these monuments as they walk into the Courthouse .
Dennis Collard : I completely agree , Judge Seeliger . The prominence of the Confederacy in public spaces like courthouses , town squares , and parks ( like Stone Mountain Park ) are reminders of slavery , violence , oppression and ongoing systemic racism . For far too long , most white people , including members of the
PHOTO SOURCE : DEKALBHISTORY . ORG