Another monument storm is brewing in Nashville.
It’s been five years since the removal of the bust of former Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol, following protests after the Black Lives Matter uprising of 2020.
The new controversy concerns a memorial to unborn children on Capitol grounds, in the works since 2018. Passed overwhelmingly in both houses of the legislature (63-15 in the House, 24-3 in the Senate), it did not move forward until last year due to design delays and lack of funding. Its erection was required by state law to come from private donations, and the first $4,000 donation was made and approved by the State Building Commission only last August.
Another donation has since come in, and the monument — which is to resemble a cemetery marker — is expected to be installed on Capitol grounds on June 24, the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the federal right to an abortion.
Supporters say it will feature language reflecting grief and sorrow and is meant to be a space for reflection, remembrance and closure.