Tennessee Gov. appoints president of Black college to commission deliberating removal of Confederate statues

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) announced his new appointment to the state Capitol Commission as protesters call for removal of a statue memorializing Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest located on the second floor of the Capitol, the Tennessean reports.

Lee's appointment of Lane College Logan Hampton fills a spot left vacant by Jackson Police Department deputy chief Tyreece Miller, who was nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. marshal of the Western District of Tennessee.

"Like Miller, Hampton is Black, making him the third African American the governor has appointed to the commission since he took office. Along with Miller, Lee named talk radio show host Hallerin Hill to the commission last year. Lane College is a historically black college in Jackson, Tennessee," the report reads. "In February, the commission listened to supporters and detractors of the Forrest bust, which was placed on the second floor of the Capitol in 1978. At the time, McWhorter said a decision on the bust wouldn't be made until after the commission returns to full membership."

Forrest was a slave trader, early KKK leader and Confederate general who commanded troops during the massacre of Union soldiers, many of whom were Black, at Fort Pillow in West Tennessee.

Read the full report over at The Tennessean.