Middle Tennessee State University is trying again to remove the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate lieutenant general and former Klan leader. His name is on the school’s Army ROTC building.
This is the university’s second attempt, as it unsuccessfully filed a similar petition in 2018.
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A statue depicting Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was removed Tuesday morning from alongside Interstate 65 in South Nashville. The statue was on late Bill Dorris’ property, and after it was removed was relocated to a storage shed on Dorris’ property. The statue of Forrest stood for 23 years, despite the controversy that surrounded him.
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Tennessee’s State Building Commission voted Thursday to remove Confederate Army General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s bust from the State Capitol building.
The statue will be relocated to the Tennessee State Museum, along with the busts of Admirals David Farragut and Albert Gleaves.
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The Sons of Confederate Veterans are in Memphis and digging up the coffins that hold Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife so they can transport them to the National Confederate Museum in Columbia, Tennessee. Staff at the National Confederate Museum did not return The Tennessee Star’s request for comment Sunday.
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Authorities have released left-wing activist Justin Jones from the Davidson County Jail after Tennessee Highway Patrol officers arrested him and several other activists at Legislative Plaza.
As reported, Jones and several of those activists have taken turns occupying that space for weeks as they demand a meeting with Gov. Bill Lee.
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Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) urged Gov. Bill Lee to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State Capitol and rename a state park that bears his name.
In a letter sent to Lee Monday, Cohen asked the Republican governor to “demonstrate leadership on an issue that causes so much pain in the Black community in Tennessee.”
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Live from Music Row Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael in the studio. During the third hour, Leahy and Carmichael discussed the history of statues in Tennessee and how some of those well-known figures represent slavery yet later in their lives made amends. The duo agreed that the purpose of statues and public art is there to remind us of our history and that legislative and public discussions would be the best way to convene decisions and not mob rule. (Amazing Grace plays) Leahy: John Newton was a slave trader in 18th century England. He was captain of a slave ship. There is a statue of him in Ireland. Should that statue be torn down because in the 18th century he was a slave trader? Carmichael: Well, according to the left it should absolutely be torn down. Leahy: The thing about John Newton is he had a conversion experience after he was a slave trader. After he was a captain of slave ships and realized that it was absolutely…
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NASHVILLE– The State Capitol Commission, while hearing testimony from both sides on the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust during a meeting on Thursday took no action on the matter.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The State House Naming, Designating and Private Acts Committee voted Tuesday to delay action until the last calendar of the committee on a resolution suggesting the removal and replacement of the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at the state capitol building.
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The House Naming, Designating and Private Acts Committee is considering a resolution that suggests the removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from the state capitol and replacing it with an appropriate tribute to a deserving Tennessean.
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Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) received the statues of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest Tuesday from a Tennessee nonprofit group almost two years after being removed from public parks in Memphis. Bruce McMullen, the city of Memphis’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that the statues have been permanently removed from Memphis and Shelby County. Furthermore, McMullen said the statues were given to the Forrest family and the SCV to “display them as they wish.” Paul Gramling, the commander-in-chief for SCV, confirmed this news on his Facebook page. “Ladies and gentlemen…….I am writing this in order, I hope, to cut down on the speculation of recent events and news from Memphis. Yes, it is true, the statues are no longer in Memphis or Shelby County. They are in an undisclosed, safe and secure location,” he said. Gramling also asked people to not make any “disparaging remarks” about Memphis or city officials to make sure nothing jeopardizes their “efforts and negotiations that still remain.” “Please trust that the Forrest family and National SCV leadership are on top of every aspect of this endeavor,” he said. SCV and Memphis officials had been in an ongoing court…
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Justin Jones, who allegedly broke the law and caused the biggest disruption at a Marsha Blackburn rally in Nashville last fall is in the news again. This time, Jones and Jeneisha Harris made the news for reportedly protesting a bust of Confederate Army General Nathan Bedford Forrest at the state capitol, according to the Knoxville-based WATE. “We are angry,” said Harris, identified as a Tennessee State University student. “We are tired of being tired of asking for the same thing.” Harris, Jones, and others delivered a signed letter to Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee. In the letter, they asked Lee to take down the bust of Forrest and move it to the state museum, according to the station. Jones, a Vanderbilt divinity student, told members of the media that Lee and members of his office had ignored his repeated emails requesting an appointment. As The Tennessee Star reported last month, members of the Davidson County District Attorney General’s office are scheduled to prosecute Jones in March on charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest. In a story that made national headlines, Jones caused a scene at a campaign rally for then-U.S. Senate Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn in late October. Blackburn won the…
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by Don Barnett There is little argument that the Memphis City Council pulled a fast one in its decision to circumvent state law by selling two of its city parks to a nonprofit, which then immediately removed statues of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, President Jefferson Davis and the uncontroversial Capt. J. Harvey Mathes on December 20, 2017. The removal had been a point of contention for years and much of the political class applauded the novel approach to the problem. It is worth remembering, however, that removal booster Memphis Rep. Steve Cohen voted against the removal of the Forrest statue in 1984 when he was on the Memphis city council. Direct descendants of Nathan Bedford Forrest filed a lawsuit on Dec 17, 2018 against the city of Memphis over the removal of the statue from the gravesite of the Confederate general, his wife and, likely, others who were interred on the grounds earlier. It may be the first time that living descendants of a national historical figure have filed such a suit to protect their ancestor’s grave site. The chances of open discussion of the matter are looking pretty dim based on media handling of the issue so…
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A golf course in Franklin has dropped “Forrest” from its name to distance itself from Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. As of Sept. 22, The Forrest Crossing Golf Course is simply The Crossing Golf Course. Opened in 1986 along the Harpeth River, the course was named for Forrest’s crossing of the Harpeth during the Civil War. The championship course was designed by Gary Roger Baird and is owned by American Golf. The corporation released a statement saying, “American Golf had been considering a name change for some time. We believe that the game of golf is a sport that can help bring people together despite their differences, and want everyone to feel welcome to play our beautiful course.” Gov. Bill Haslam recently renewed a push to have a bust of Forrest moved from the Capitol to the Tennessee State Museum. Activists called for the removal of Confederate statues and monuments after violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, Aug. 12 between white supremacists and leftist counterprotesters. Some also called for the removal of monuments honoring America’s Founding Fathers. Haslam had first advocated for relocating the bust of Forrest after nine people were killed in a 2015 shooting at a historic black church…
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U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has joined demands to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, reports WKRN News 2. The Tennessee Republican spoke to reporters Tuesday about the issue when he was in Nashville for an event. Alexander said the Civil War can be remembered at museums, birthplaces and battlefields, but that “a place of honor” should be for Tennesseans “who inspire all of us,” such as Roots author Alex Haley, Senator Howard Baker or World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York. The bust of Forrest was installed at the Capitol in the late 1970s. In 1980, when Alexander was Tennessee governor, he was against removing the bust. Acknowledging that he has changed his mind, Alexander said Tuesday that when he was governor he “thought it was more important to appoint the first African-American Supreme Court justice in Tennessee, which I did. More important to pass the Martin Luther King holiday, which I did. More important to (appoint) the first black chancellor in the state, which I did.” Bill Haslam, the current Tennessee Republican governor, as well as activists, have called for the removal of the controversial bust. A Tennessee native, Forrest was a slave…
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is advocating for the removal of a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol in Nashville. “My position on this issue has not changed – I do not believe Nathan Bedford Forrest should be one of the individuals we honor at the Capitol. The General Assembly has established a process for addressing these matters and I strongly encourage the Capitol Commission and the Historical Commission to act,” Haslam said in a statement issued Monday. A Tennessee native, Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Also a slave trader, Forrest was known for his brutality. According to some accounts, he became a Christian later in life and distanced himself from the KKK, which he helped start. Activists in many states are calling for the removal of Confederate monuments after violent clashes between white supremacists and leftist radicals on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dozens of protesters gathered at the Capitol Monday to demand that the bust come down, according to Nashville Public Radio. The bust was installed in the 1970s and ever since there have been calls periodically to remove it, the last time being after the Charleston church shooting in…
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A group using the hashtag #TakeEmDown901 is organizing to push for the removal of Confederate statues in Memphis, part of a trend across the South. More than 250 people attended a rally Tuesday evening at Bruce Elementary School on Bellevue Boulevard to learn more about the group’s efforts. “These statues were built as tools of oppression during the Civil Rights movement and reconstruction,” said organizer Tami Sawyer, according to WMC Action News 5. Sawyer said the statues must go to make Memphis more attractive to millennials. One activist at the meeting said, “If you don’t take down these statues, then we will.” However, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is protesting the efforts. The group released a statement saying: Those who tear down historic monuments are no better than Nazis or ISIS. They are historical terrorists. The TearDownMemphis or TakeEmDown group bears the same characteristics. Our historical monuments, especially including the two largest Confederate monuments, are a tribute to those honored city residents of our nation’s past. They certainly do not signify white supremacy or anything of the sort. Both Jefferson Davis and N. B. Forrest are veterans of the United States military and of the Confederate States. The Sons of Confederate Veterans…
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