>>> MY GIVEN NAME IS BENJAMIN
BUFORD BLUE.
PEOPLE CALL ME BUBBA.
JUST LIKE ONE OF THEM OLD
REDNECK BOYS.
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?
>> MY NAME IS FORREST GUMP.
PEOPLE CALL ME FORREST GUMP.
>> YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT MOVIE
THAT’S FROM, THE ICONIC MOVIE
"FORREST GUMP."
BUT I WANTED TO SHOW IT TO YOU
BECAUSE FOREST IS A NAME THAT’S
LONG BEEN COMMON THROUGHOUT THE
SOUTH, AT LEAST AMONG WHITE
FOLKS.
HE SAID EXPLICITLY THAT HE WAS
NAMED AFTER THE CONFEDERATE
GENERAL NATHAN BEDFORD FOREST.
IN THE SOUTH THERE HAVE BEEN
HIGHWAYS, MONUMENTS, HIGH
SCHOOLS AND STATE HOLIDAYS.
HE HAS BEEN TREATED BY MANY
FOLKS AS AN AMERICAN HERO BUT
THAT IS NOT WHO NATHAN BEDFORD
FORREST WAS.
YOU MAY KNOW THE HISTORY, YOU
MAY NOT.
MY SENSE IS NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE
KNOW THE FULL STORY.
HE IS NOT SOME KIND OF ON THE
BUBBLE FIGURE, AN EDGE CASE WITH
A COMPLICATED LEGACY.
HE’S NOT SOMEONE THE WOKE MOB
HAS SUDDENLY DECIDED TO COME
FOR.
HE’S JUST A VILE, VILE, EVIL
MAN.
A PLANTATION OWNER AND SLAVE
OWNER, HIS MOST INFAMOUS ACT
CAME AT THE BATTLE OF FT.
PILLOW.
FOUR SOLDIERS MASSACRED A BUNCH
OF UNION TROOPS, MANY OF THEM
BLACK AND MANY OF WHOM WERE
ATTEMPTING TO SURRENDER WHEN
THEY WERE KILLED.
THE CONFEDERACY THEN ABANDONED
THE POSITION THAT NIGHT.
THEY DIDN’T EVEN NEED TO HOLD
THE FORT.
IT WAS AN ATROCITY, AND IT WAS
RECOGNIZED AS SUCH AT THE TIME.
THIS IS FROM THE "NEW YORK
HERALD" ON APRIL 14th, 1864.
TALES OF A HORRIFIC MASSACRE,
THE DEAD AND WOUNDED BURNED BY
CONFEDERATE FORCE, REPORTED
MASSACRE OF THE WHITE BLACK
TROOPS.
IT REVERBERATED AS ONE OF THE
MOST VILE, DESPICABLE WAR CRIMES
OF THE CIVIL WAR.
BUT NATHAN BEDFORD FORREST
WASN’T DONE YET.
AFTER THE CONFEDERACY WAS
DEFEATED, HE ESCAPED JUSTICE.
HE WAS NOT IMPRISONED OR
EXECUTED.
HE WENT BACK TO CIVILIAN LIFE
AND BECAME AN EARLY MEMBER OF AN
ORGANIZATION YOU’VE PERHAPS
HEARD OF, THE KU KLUX KLAN.
IN FACT FORREST WAS THE FIRST AND MOST NOTORIOUS GRAND WIZARD
AND MOST NOTORIOUS GRAND WIZARD
OF THE KKK WHICH DEDICATED
ITSELF TO REENINSTALLING WHITE
SUPREMACY BY TARGETING BLACK
PEOPLE WITH VIOLENCE AND MAYHEM.
THAT’S THE GUY.
THERE IS CURRENTLY A BUST IN HIS
HONOR DISPLAYED IN THE TENNESSEE
STATE CAPITOL.
NOW, IT DOES NOT STRETCH BACK
ALL THE WAY TO THE
RECONSTRUCTION YEARS.
NO, NO, NO, IT WAS INSTALLED IN
1978.
IT WAS PUT THERE IN RESPONSE TO
A BUST OF U.S. CIVIL WAR HERO
ADMIRAL DAVID FARRAGUT.
IT PROMPTLY ATTRACTED MEMBERS OF
THE TENNESSEE KKK WHO HELD A
PRESS CONFERENCE IN FRONT OF IT
IN 1980.
THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT
THE.
THOSE ARE KLANSMEN IN KLAN ROBES
UNDERNEATH THE FORREST BUST IN
CASE ANYONE IS STILL WONDERING
WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE BEEN TRYING
TO GET RID OF THE NATHAN FORREST
BUST FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
LAST YEAR TO HIS CREDIT,
TENNESSEE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR
BILL LEE CALLED FOR THE BUST TO
BE REMOVED, CITING THE BRUTAL
CRIMES THAT NATHAN BEDFORD
FORREST COMMITTED AGAINST
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
NOW THE TENNESSEE HISTORICAL
COMMISSION AND CAPITOL
COMMISSION HAVE VOTED TO REMOVE
THE BUST.
BUT BECAUSE HISTORY IS NEVER
GONE AND CONFEDERACY SYMPATHIES
ENDURE TO THIS DAY, THERE IS NOW
A REPUBLICAN BACKLASH AGAINST
THAT EFFORT.
HERE TO TELL US WHAT’S GOING ON,
TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE
LONDON LAMAR, A DEMOCRAT WHO
REPRESENTS MEMPHIS.
REPRESENTATIVE, YOU ARE IN THE
CAPITOL I BELIEVE RIGHT IN FRONT
OF THE BEDFORD FORREST BUST.
YOU WANTED TO DO THIS INTERVIEW
FROM THAT POSITION.
WHY?
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT THAT THIS MAN, WHO WAS
THE FIRST GRAND WIZARD OF THE
KKK, WHO MASSACRED MANY BLACK
UNION SOLDIERS, I WANTED TO SEE
THAT HE SITS RIGHT HERE IN THE
MOST POWERFUL BUILDING IN THE
STATE OF TENNESSEE IN BETWEEN
THE MOST POWERFUL CHAMBERS IN
OUR STATE AND THAT’S THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE
SENATE.
AND EVERY DAY I HAVE TO WALK IN
TO MAKE LEGISLATION FOR ALL
PEOPLE OF TENNESSEE, I HAVE TO
WALK PAST A KLANSMAN BEFORE I GO
INTO THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE.
I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE
MANY PEOPLE DON’T GET THE
OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THE STATE
CAPITOL, ESPECIALLY DURING A
PANDEMIC.
BUT YOU NEED TO SEE THAT OUR
STATE CAPITOL IS RECOGNIZING AND
SUPPORTING THE FIRST GRAND
WIZARD OF THE KKK IN A BUILDING
THAT SHOULD BE A BUILDING WHERE
ALL PEOPLE CAN FEEL THAT WE ARE
ENTERING THESE CHAMBERS TO
REPRESENT THEM AND MAKE THEIR
LIVES BETTER.
>> SO THIS IS NOT A NEW
CONTROVERSY.
IT’S BEEN THE OBJECT OF MUCH
PUBLIC ATTENTION FOR A WHILE.
THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR CREATED
THIS COMMISSION.
THE COMMISSION VOTED TO REMOVE
IT.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A REBELLION
AGAINST THAT IN WHICH SOME OF
YOUR REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WANT
TO CANCEL THE COMMISSION BECAUSE
THEY CANCELLED NATHAN BEDFORD
FORREST.
WHAT’S GOING ON?
>> SEE, AFTER DECADES AND
DECADES OF PROTESTING, WE
FINALLY HAD A WIN LAST WEEK WHEN
THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION VOTED
TO REMOVE THIS BUST AND PLACE
THIS BUST IN THE STATE MUSEUM
WHERE IT CAN BE -- THE STORY CAN
BE TOLD IN MORE ACCURATE
CONTEXT.
BUT BECAUSE SOME OF THE
REPUBLICANS DO NOT AGREE WITH
THE REMOVAL OF THE KLANSMAN FROM
THE STATE CAPITOL, THEY ARE NOW
TRYING TO REMOVE THE COMMISSION
IN ITS ENTIRETY.
SOME OF THESE REPUBLICANS ARE
TRYING TO STACK THE DECK AND
MAKE IT EVEN HARDER.
THEY PUT THIS COMMISSION IN
PLACE BUT BECAUSE IT’S NOT
WORKING TO THEIR BENEFIT, WE
WANT TO CHANGE IT AGAIN.
WE CAN’T KEEP STACKING THE DECK
WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE
NEED TO DO IN A SYSTEM THAT YOU
PUT IN PLACE AND I DON’T THINK
IT’S FAIR THAT WE ARE TRYING TO
MAKE IT HARDER.
THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION MADE A
DECISION.
WE NEED TO RESPECT IT AND ALLOW
THIS BUST TO BE MOVED TO THE
STATE MUSEUM.
>> LET ME JUST MAKE SURE I
UNDERSTAND THIS RIGHT.
SO REPUBLICANS CONTROL THE
GOVERNMENT IN YOUR STATE.
THEY HAVE MAJORITIES IN BOTH
HOUSES IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN
THERE’S A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR.
UNDER THAT REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR
THEY CREATED THIS COMMISSION.
THE COMMISSION’S JOB WAS TO
RESEARCH AND FIGURE OUT WHAT TO
DO WITH THIS BUST.
I BELIEVE A BUILDING AT A
COLLEGE THAT’S ALSO NAMED AFTER
HIM, IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN.
THEY HAVE NOW VOTED TO REMOVE
THE BUST, BUT THE REPUBLICANS
NOW, SOME RIPEPUBLICANS DON’T LI
THE DECISION SO THEY WANT TO
SCRAP THAT COMMISSION AS KIND
OF, I DON’T KNOW, RETALIATION?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS A DIVIDED REPUBLICAN PARTY ON THIS BUST.
PARTY ON THIS BUST.
WHAT IT IS IS THEY WANT TO ABUSE
THE GOVERNMENT TO GET TO WHAT
THEY WANT TO DO.
IT’S POSSIBLE IF THEY PASS THIS
LEGISLATION TO CHANGE THE
COMMISSION WHERE THE LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR, THE SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE TO
EQUALLY GET APPOINTMENTS TO THIS
COMMISSION IN ORDER TO KEEP THIS
BUST FROM BEING REMOVED, IT CAN
IN FACT BE ABLE TO STAY HERE.