Dr. James Hildreth calls for KKK founder bust to be removed

NASHVILLE, TN - Dr. James Hildreth, infectious disease expert and President & CEO of Nashville’s Meharry Medical, commented on why Tennessee must remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from the state Capitol. Dr. Hildreth was speaking during a Power Poll panel yesterday on COVID-19 and Racial Health Disparities in Tennessee when he made the powerful comment.

“Nathan Bedford Forrest should not be so prominently displayed in the capitol of the State of Tennessee. When I see him, what I see is the lifeless bodies of Black folks hanging from trees. I smell burning flesh and I hear the moans and wails of families watching their families being killed. Maybe if they saw what I saw, heard what I heard and smelled what I smell when they looked at this thing they would understand why this raises so much emotion for us.”

Published July 2, 2020