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There was a rally on the historic Rutherford County Square Sunday. The event was geared towards taking down the Confederate monument that stands on the Church Street side of the courthouse.
During the event tempers were high on both sides of the issue as scriptures were quoted...
Many in attendance were for removing the confederate statue...
While some argued about the statue, others were overcome with emotion while vocalizing what it is like to live life as a bi-racial teen and feeling unaccepted by both white and black races...
The young woman was in tears when she screamed that she is not accepted by some of her own blood due to the fact that she is mixed. She then screamed how wrong it was to support a man who supported slavery, referring to the statue of a Confederate soldier armed with a rifle.
History of the Monument:
The monument honors Confederate soldiers who died at Civil War battles in Murfreesboro (1861-1865).
The statue was erected November 1, 1901 at a cost of $2,800. It was unveiled before a crowd of approximately 3,000 persons. It is known as the Confederate Guardian of Peace monument.
The Heritage Protection Act (learn more here):
The Tennessee Heritage Protection Act was initially enacted in 2013 and amended in 2016 and 2018. Generally, the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act prohibits the removal, relocation, or renaming of a memorial that is, or is located on, public property. It forbids historic statues and monuments from being torn down, unless a two-thirds majority vote by the Tennessee Historical Commission is confirmed to remove or alter an existing historical piece.
A public entity exercising control of a memorial may petition the Tennessee Historical Commission in writing for a waiver from the prohibition. After consideration of the petition, the Tennessee Historical Commission will vote on whether to grant or deny the waiver.
On and after May 21, 2018, a historic organization may petition the Tennessee Historical Commission to transfer ownership to the historic organization and/or relocate a memorial with the consent of the public entity exercising control of the memorial.
The citation for the Act is Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-1-412.
