The TN State House of Representatives voted against removing the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the capitol building Tuesday afternoon, with 5 votes in favor and 11 against. Citizens have called for the bust's removal for years to no avail, despite petitions with thousands of signatures and the recent protests against white supremacy and police brutality.
Representative from District 35 [Jerry Sexton] literally said, "Who knows, maybe some of us will be slaves some day. Laws change," and "What about the people that I represent that it will offend them if we move this?"
The organizers behind Nashville's I Will Breathe rally have planned another protest from 3-5pm today at legislative plaza in response. I hope to see you there.
That said, please make sure that you're registered to vote and that you're educated on which candidates are running in your district. The registration deadline to vote in the TN State Senate and House primary is Tuesday, July 7. Click here to register online. It takes two minutes.
If you don't know who your representatives are or what district you live in, you can find that information here.
For a full list of who is running in our local, state and federal elections in 2020, click here.