Forrest bust heading to new home in Tennessee State Museum

(The Center Square) – The bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest is moving out of the Tennessee state Capitol building, and Gov. Bill Lee said it will happen “soon.”

The State Building Commission, with Lee holding the gavel, voted Thursday to have the Forrest bust and two others moved from the Capitol to the Tennessee State Museum.

“It’s been a yearlong journey and this is an appropriate step in the process,” Lee said. “We think that we will have the result that is best for Tennessee but it is most important that we follow the process.”

Thursday’s vote was 5-2, with House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, the Senate speaker, voting against its removal.

“There has only been one perfect person to walk on this earth – everyone else has fallen short. Our country was established by imperfect people who made a great country that stands for hope, opportunity, and liberty,” Sexton said.

The bust sat between the Senate and House chambers within the building.

Forrest was a Confederate general and an early leader in the Ku Klux Klan. He was the commanding officer at the 1864 Battle of Fort Pillow in Henning. More than 200 union soldiers, mostly Black soldiers, were killed in the battle after attempting to surrender.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, thanked Lee and his office for making the removal of the bust a priority.

“From the Fort Pillow massacre to roving lynch mobs, from Jim Crow to the assassination of MLK, Jr., it’s time for us, as one people, to heal the wounds of the past,” Akbari said in a statement. “Much like this bust symbolizes the pain and suffering of slavery and terror, removing the likeness of Nathan Bedford Forrest from a place of honor in Tennessee’s Capitol is a symbol for much needed reconciliation.

“No doubt we have work to do to achieve equality and justice for all people, but today’s vote shows that progress is possible.”

Sexton said in a statement that the legislature attempted to follow a respectful process to remove the bust.

The process began more than a year ago with a petition, which was approved by the Capitol Commission. The state historical commission also voted in March to make the move before the State Building Commission vote on Thursday.

“Trying to judge past generations’ actions based on today’s values and the evolution of societies is not an exercise I am willing to do because I think it is counterproductive,” Sexton said. “It is much more productive to learn from our past and not repeat the imperfections of the past. Any attempt to erase the past only aligns society with the teaching of communism, which believes the present dominates the past.”

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