MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It has been sitting in the Tennessee Capitol for nearly 43 years, and has been the topic of protest and controversy virtually all that time. The it, of course, is a bronze bust of Confederate general and slave trader Nathan Bedford Forrest. But now, the bust is being moved to the state museum to be part of a military exhibit.
A few years ago, most people thought moving the Forrest bust would never happen. Former Governor Bill Haslam tried in 2017 after the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, but his effort failed. And the thinking was, if angry white racists parading through the streets won’t change minds about symbols of racism, nothing would.
But surprisingly, Haslam’s successor, Bill Lee, who initially opposed moving the bust, had a change of heart. And he was able to convince enough key people to agree that now is the time to move the bust from a place of honor in the halls of government.
Yes, the critics are still complaining. They include Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House speaker Cameron Sexton. But their reasons for keeping the bust in the capitol amount to tone deafness about race – and are not worth repeating.
So now the bust is gone, and when lawmakers next gather to do the people’s business, they won’t have the image of an oppressive slave trader staring down at them. And that’s my point of view.