Tennessee governor wants to amend day that honors KKK leader.
FILE - This Aug. 18, 2017 file photo shows a statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in a park in Memphis, Tenn. On Friday, Jan. 7, 2020, Gov. Bill Lee's office said he will introduce legislation that would amend a law requiring Tennessee to honor Forrest, an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
According to the law in question, Tennessee governors must sign six proclamations throughout the year designating the following days of special observance: Robert E. Lee Day , Abraham Lincoln Day , Andrew Jackson Day , Confederate Decoration Day , Nathan Bedford Forrest Day and Veterans' Day . "While it is my job as governor to enforce the law, I want Tennesseans to know where my heart is on this issue," Lee said at the time. “Our state's history is rich, complex and in some cases painful. With this in mind, I will be working to change this law.”
Forrest, a Confederate cavalry general, amassed a fortune as a plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis before the Civil War.
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