Hey Thanks, Forrest-Statue Vandals

PHOTO: DANIEL MEIGS

Instead of a strong symbol of white power, motorists are now treated to a pink cartoon character


Hey Thanks, Forrest-Statue Vandals,

I never thought I’d say this, but thank you very much, unnamed practitioners of vandalism.

Two years ago, some folks thought the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, which sits alongside I-65 in Crieve Hall, needed a refresher, so they hit it with coats of pink paint. That statue has been controversial since it went up in 1998, because unlike the bust of Forrest in the state Capitol — which soft-pedals its racism — this 25-foot monstrosity depicting Forrest on horseback was expressly created to be a symbol of white power. Defenders of the Capitol bust at least have the misguided sense to fall back on old chestnuts like “Forrest quit the Klan” and “he was a military hero.” But when Bill Dorris erected his statue, he was clear that it was a symbol of white supremacy, ringing it with flags of the Confederacy.

For years, I have driven past that statue and stewed over its stupidity. Even Dorris has admitted that it’s mediocre and that the design, by noted racist Jack Kershaw, is not very good. I think it looks like Lord Farquaad from Shrek. Others have suggested that it resembles The Princess Bride’s Count Rugen. But symbols often derive power from their commitment to the cause — and there was the Forrest statue, sword raised defiantly every day, a persistent troll to the changing world around it.

When vandals painted it pink, I figured Dorris would clean up the statue, but he didn’t. Instead, he told the media that he hoped it would draw more attention to it. His friend Kershaw once told The Times-Picayune in New Orleans that “somebody needs to say a good word for slavery,” so it’s clear that’s what he was trying to glorify.

Read more: https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/cover-story/article/21103194/hey-thanks-forreststatue-vandals