Sen. Gilmore opposes effort to protect state observance for KKK leader, slave trader

Sen. Gilmore will remove her name as a cosponsor of the revised legislation that keeps ‘Nathan Bedford Forrest Day’ in state law

NASHVILLE — Sen. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville) is removing her name as cosponsor of Senate Bill 2199, a measure that would delete Nathan Bedford Forrest Day from state law.

But on Tuesday, the bill was amended in the Senate State and Local Government Committee to protect the official observance on July 13, but remove the requirement that the governor must proclaim the day.

The Republican sponsor of the legislation told members of the committee the amendment reflected the will of Gov. Bill Lee’s administration.

Sen. Gilmore released the following statement:

“I signed onto Senate Bill 2199 as a cosponsor because, once and for all, it fully removed Tennessee’s special day of observance for the KKK grand wizard and brutal slave trader Nathan Bedford Forrest.

He deserves no honor or recognition in state law. Unfortunately, the new amendment attached to this legislation protects this offensive observance and keeps Nathan Bedford Forrest Day completely intact within state statutes.

I will be removing my name as a cosponsor. Eliminating the proclamation is simply not enough and it is a sign of the times that, here in Tennessee, we are still fighting over whether a dead man who bought, sold, tortured and massacred Black people should be honored at our state Capitol.”

Nathan Bedford Forrest Day is not the only instance where the slave trader is honored by the state. A sculpture of his bust, which has been the focus of protest and intense debate, looms large in the Capitol Building.