Gov. Haslam proclaims today 'Nathan Bedford Forrest Day' in Tennessee

Andy Sher/Times Free Press
The Nathan Bedford Forrest bust sits in an alcove at the Tennesse state Capitol building.
Andy Sher/Times Free Press The Nathan Bedford Forrest bust sits in an alcove at the Tennesse state Capitol building.
photo Andy Sher/Times Free Press The Nathan Bedford Forrest bust sits in an alcove at the Tennesse state Capitol building.

As is prescribed in Tennessee state law, today is "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day."

The day comes amid a local and national debate over the necessity of publicly promoted Confederate symbols. That includes calls from Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and others to remove a large bust of Forrest, a Confederate general and early leader in the Ku Klux Klan, from the state Capitol.

Haslam officially signed the proclamation June 2, but state law leaves him with few options: Code says each year it is "the duty of the governor of this state to proclaim" July 13 as "Nathan Bedford Forrest Day."

Read more from our news partners at The Tennessean.

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