Monument Movement:

Chris Herrington, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee, commercialappeal.com [section of article, "Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductees and the Confederate Monument movement"]

Forest Hood image from

Excerpt:

Monument Movement: Yesterday was a particularly newsy day on the Forrest/Davis monument front [JB - note: Memphis is pursuing the removal of statues of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and President Jefferson Davis, who both lived in Memphis during their lives. Forrest was a slave trader, celebrated cavalry commander and head of the Ku Klux Klan — although historians say he disavowed and disbanded the organization in 1869] and Ryan Poe covers the terrain here. A few quick thoughts on a topic I’ll return to more elaborately in the near future: While the focus was on the Memphis City Council, the biggest news may have come from Governor Bill Haslam, in town yesterday, who noted he’s been in communication with Mayor Strickland on the issue and signaled his support:

“[Strickland] wants it to come down. He thinks it should and I agree with him,” Haslam said. “But here’s the other thing, there is a process and he’s doing everything in his power to speed that process along, which is what I think is the right approach.”

One suspects that Haslam’s strong public support is an indicator of behind-the-scenes lobbying that may ultimately be more meaningful than what’s happening in front of the cameras. The same might be said of Strickland, whose public diplomacy and pursuit of state approval has displeased some supporters of monument removal. ...