The changes have won praise from those who said the Old South is gone. But critics have likened the Council’s actions to rewriting history.
Kenneth Van Buren is a local African-American civil rights activist. He agrees with changing park names tied to the Confederacy. In his words, “how can we have unity in the nation when we have one city, right here in Memphis, which fails to be unified?”
Most of the emotion over the council’s action has involved Nathan Bedford Forrest. Many of his defenders are white. They note his successes as a government official, businessman and military leader. But his critics, white and black, say honoring Forrest celebrates his days as a slave trader and membership in the Ku Klux Klan.
Katherine Blaylock lives in Memphis and opposes the name changes. She says the city has always been racially divided. She accuses city officials of wanting to rewrite history.
Forrest lived in Memphis before the Civil War. He worked as a cotton farmer and slave trader. He lacked traditional military training, but rose to the position of lieutenant general in the Confederate Army. He became famous for fast horseback raids that broke the Union’s supply line and communications.
Forrest later joined the Ku Klux Klan, which threatened southern blacks. His level of involvement in the Klan is a source of argument. He is believed to have helped break the earliest version of the group in 1869.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25