Make Forrest bust reflect real history

Governor Lee does not want to remove the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Capitol in Nashville. Apparently clueless to his ironic choice of words, Lee declares that it would be “a mistake to whitewash history.”

Does he know the history of the Fort Pillow Massacre when Forrest’s troops yelled “take the white men, kill the [blacks]” as they proceeded to slaughter the surrendering U.S. colored troops who had laid down their arms?

Lee goes on to say, “The Ku Klux Klan is a part of our history that we’re not proud of in Tennessee, and we need to be reminded of that and make certain that we don’t forget it.” I couldn’t agree more, but the bust doesn’t mention anything about that, it only glorifies Forrest’s military position.

I would like to propose a compromise in line with the governor’s logic. Leave the bust in place and add the following lines to the pedestal under Confederate States Army: Slave Trader, War Criminal, Founder of the Ku Klux Klan.

There you go, governor, history preserved in its entirety.

Sheila St. Aubin