Joel Ebert, The Tennessean, March 2, 2016
This bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan, should be removed from the Tennessee statehouse, in the view of several leading Tennessee Democrats.
(Photo: Dave Boucher / The Tennessean)
One day after the top two leaders in Congress rebuked Republican front-runner Donald Trump for his slow disavowal of a former Ku Klux Klan leader, the Tennessee state Senate approved a bill making it more difficult to remove statues or monuments named after controversial figures, sending the measure to the governor.
The move on Wednesday is an attempt to push back against efforts throughout the nation to remove remnants of the Confederacy, including a bust at the state Capitol of Nathan Bedford Forrest, an oft-hailed Tennessee military figure who was also a slave trader and an early leader in the Ku Klux Klan.
The measure requires anyone interested in renaming, removing or relocating any statues, monuments and other memorials to receive a two-thirds vote from the Tennessee Historical Commission.
Current law requires only a majority vote by the historical commission. The bill would apply to monuments and memorials on public property, including local- and state-owned land.
During Wednesday’s floor session, Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said the Senate’s action came one day after U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rebuked Trump after the Republican didn’t immediately distance himself from an endorsement from David Duke.
“The Ku Klux Klan, I mean I think we have to remember this is part of our history,” Yarbro said, pointing out that the organization’s first meeting was held three miles from the Capitol.
“I fear that what we do here sort of tries to freeze history as it was told at a point in time instead of actually letting this process develop in a way that would lead to the betterment of the state,” he said.
Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, said his issue with the bill is that it will put a handicap on growing communities.
“Communities will change over time, and these set of protocols will not fit as these communities change,” he said.
While giving tours of the Capitol, Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, said of all the statues in the building, he spends the most time in front of the one honoring Forrest.
“I would say to you because it’s a story of redemption,” Roberts said, explaining that late in Forrest’s life he hired 400 African-Americans to help rebuild the South after the Civil War, became a Christian and ordered the Ku Klux Klan be disbanded.
“I don’t want us to try and erase our history because of the moment of political correctness,” he said. “I want us to be very thoughtful in the things that we might choose to remove or set aside.”
Proponents of the measure say it is simply about implementing a proper process for those interested in removing or renaming a controversial statue, monument or location.
The bill spurred significant discussion, including from many African-American lawmakers, when it was given approval in the House on Feb. 18, but two of the Senate’s African-Americans — Thelma Harper, D-Nashville, and Reginald Tate, D-Memphis — declined to weigh in on the issue before the Senate vote.
After the floor session, Harper said she wasn’t concerned about the issues brought up by Yarbro and Harris. While talking about the bill, she said, “That’s history. What am I supposed to do? Whatever happened then, happened then.”
“How much difference does it matter if it’s there or wherever it is?” Harper asked, discussing the statue of Forrest. “Are we supposed to pretend that we don’t know what has happened in this world, and what has happened in the state?”
The issue of historical preservation is one that has been debated in recent months in both the Tennessee General Assembly and other legislatures around the country, including in Alabama.
The Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of the measure comes less than a year after several politicians, including Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., called for the removal of the Forrest bust from the Capitol. Their calls came after a white man killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C.
The bill heads to the governor, who has given no indication on whether he supports the measure.
Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for Haslam, said, “The governor is deferred to the will of the legislature on this bill as amended. As with every piece of legislation that comes to him, he will review it in its final form before taking any action.”
Reach Joel Ebert at 615-259-8379 and on Twitter @joelebert29.