Governor of Tennessee accused of honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest: NPR

Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee faces a public reaction after declaring Saturday "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day", perpetuating a decades-old tradition paying tribute to the Confederate General, slave trader and former Ku leader Klux Klan.

Under state law, governors are required to recognize Forrest on July 13 as part of one of six "special observance days" each year. The law also provides for a "Robert E. Lee Day" on January 19 and a "Day of Remembrance" or "Confederate Decoration Day" on June 3.

For years, opponents have called for a change of law, citing Forrest's history of repression and violence against blacks. Forrest was a Confederation general during the Civil War and led his forces in the Fort Pillow Massacre, where soldiers executed several black troops after their surrender, according to survivor stories and a federal inquiry. He was also an important slave owner and the first great magician of KKK.

The proclamation, which Governor Lee signed on Wednesday, identifies Forrest as a "recognized military figure in American history."

Although the proclamation itself is not new, it has aroused strong reactions in the midst of the ongoing national debate on the withdrawal of Confederate statutes from public spaces.

Part of the outcry came from members of Lee's own party. Ted Cruz, from Texas, went on Twitter to condemn the governor's decision, calling Forrest "a slave trader and KKK's 1st great wizard".

Democrat David Briley, Mayor of Nashville, urged lawmakers to repeal the law by tweeting: "Nathan Bedford Forrest was a slave owner and a racist, and no law should compel us to honor him. "

The governor's office did not respond to NPR's requests for comment. In his remarks Thursday, Lee said, "I did not even consider this law, other than knowing that I had to respect it, so that's what I did. "

Nathan Bedford Forrest Day was declared a feast for the first time in 1921 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Confederate Chief Eddie Weeks. a librarian from the Tennessee legislature, told the Tennessean newspaper. In 1969, this changed to a day of observation.

This is not the first time that a commemoration effort Forrest has sparked controversy in the state.

In 2017, former Gov. Bill Haslam asked that the bust of Forrest be removed from the Capitol, where he is still today. Later that year, a private statue of Forrest was vandalized with pink paint. In 2017, another Forrest statue was removed from a Memphis park after being sold to a private owner.

Tennessee tensions over how to commemorate Confederate leaders such as Forrest reflect a wider debate that has not been resolved following the violence that erupted in Charlottesville in August 2017 between white nationalists reunited for s & rsquo; Oppose the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee and the counter-protesters. The violence culminated with the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was protesting white supremacy.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that since 2015, 110 tributes or monuments of the Confederation have been removed, but more than 1,700 remains.

Some Tennesseans have taken matters into their own hands, seeking to commemorate Forrest differently.

A historic monument in downtown Memphis, sponsored by Calvary Episcopal Church, Rhodes College, and the National Park Service, reads: "Nathan Bedford Forrest operated a profitable slave trading business on this site … a chose to portray Forrest as a military hero, excusing or ignoring the buying and selling of Forrest's human beings. "