Tennessee Senate Democratic Leaders on Wednesday called for the two speakers to petition for the removal of the bust honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest in the state Capitol.
"Governor Haslam has shown strong leadership this week in calling for the bust's removal following the tragedy in Charleston," Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris said. "We should seize this moment of national reflection and unity to remove divisive symbols from our state Capitol."
He added, "Governor Haslam was joined this week by Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and state House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick in calling for various Confederate symbols and memorials to be removed from honored, public spaces."
The Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013 prohibits the removal or altercation of any monument or memorial dedicated in honor of the Civil War, among others.
The law allows for anyone exercising control over a piece of public property to petition the Tennessee Historical Commission for a waiver.
"Only those that represent the very best of Tennessee should be afforded such recognition in the halls of state government," Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Jeff Yarbro said. "We can't and shouldn't sanitize our history, but we do have a choice about which individuals we honor and elevate as models to school groups touring the Capitol."
As a city councilman in Memphis, Senator Harris sponsored the 2013 city council resolution to rename Nathan Bedford Forrest Park. That prompted state Senate Republicans to pass the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act. The Memphis park was renamed Health Sciences Park before the law took effect.
The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators also "called for the removal of a bust of Confederate General and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state capitol."
Officials said, "The Black Caucus also is fully supports the growing movement to remove racist symbols from places of prominence across the country. Since the tragic murder of nine African-American church members in South Carolina last week, a national debate has re-ignited about the appropriateness of these symbols being displayed, particularly the Confederate flag that currently flies in front of the South Carolina statehouse. Several retail giants like Wal-Mart and Sears have also stopped the sale of items with the Confederate symbol on them."
Caucus Vice Chair Ramesh Akbari of Memphis said, "This is a movement that is long overdue. It’s sad that it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to bring attention to a battle that many good people have been fighting for years.
“We are encouraged by the bi-partisan support here in Tennessee by Governor Bill Haslam, U.S. Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, and House Leaders Gerald McCormick and Craig Fitzhugh to call for the removal of the bust and to discuss the removal of racist symbols like the Tennessee license plates that feature the flag.“