Tensions rise in House after lawmakers unwittingly vote to honor Klan leader

One day after an Associated Press report that House lawmakers unwittingly voted in favor of a resolution honoring the achievements of Confederate general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan Nathan Bedford Forrest, tensions boiled over the lower chamber.

Speaking on the House floor on Thursday, Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, who earlier this month sponsored a resolution to honor Shane Kastler, the author of a book about Forrest, apologized to members of the chambers' black caucus.

"I passed this not trying to hurt anybody's feelings. Not trying to use any trickery or any kind of problems but many of y'all know I have a passion for history like many of y'all do," Sparks said, adding that he intended no offense by his actions. "I apologize to members of the black caucus."

Earlier this session, Sparks introduced a resolution to honor Tennessee history that was defeated in committee, in part due to the inclusion of Forrest. The resolution also paid tribute to the first African-American elected to the Legislature.

But much of the language in Sparks' initial resolution ended up being quietly added to the second resolution.

On March 13, the new resolution was passed 94-0 along with other items on the House consent calendar, a slate of bills and resolutions deemed uncontroversial and not requiring any floor debate.

Shortly after Sparks addressed the chamber on Thursday, members of the House black caucus, led by Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, gathered at a podium, to express dismay over Sparks' actions.

"As a member of this esteemed body, I like to think the best of everyone," Akbari said, noting that she values the committee process that led to the defeat of Sparks' resolution. "I had a conversation with the representative and I was told that these resolutions would be split and that if either one was presented, they would be debated."

Akbari, who was also joined by House Majority Leader Glen Casada and House Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan Williams, said that although she did not want to debate the merits of Forrest he was "a slave trader."

"Slavery is the cruelest, most inhumane part of our history - one that should be learned from but certainly not celebrated," she said.

After the impromptu gathering ended, Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, also spoke to a silenced chamber, pointing to the Associated Press story, in which Sparks was unapologetic for his colleagues not knowing about the content of his resolution before they voted on it.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Sparks said. "I can't speak on 1,500 bills and a myriad of resolutions that come up here."

Although Parkinson stopped short of calling Sparks a racist, he said, "Anytime an individual — a non-African-American individual — tells me that my best friend is black, that's a red flag to me."

Parkinson said while he loves history like many of his House colleagues, he doesn't celebrate all history. The Memphis lawmaker rhetorically asked how his colleagues would feel if he quietly got them to vote on a resolution honoring Nat Turner, who led a rebellion of slaves that resulted in the deaths of white people, or Louis Farrakhan, the at-times controversial leader of the Nation of Islam.

"I want you to understand how I feel right now," he said, calling the situation a national embarrassment before reading several ads in which African-Americans in Memphis were sold during slavery.

Parkinson said he didn't want Sparks apology because it would be "mere words."

Discussing his vote in favor of the resolution with the Associated Press, Rep. Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar, who is African-American, said he opposes resolutions honoring "slave traders and people that were against my ancestors."

"He pulled a fast one," Shaw said. "I don't think I owe any recognition to Mr. Forrest at all. If I could take my vote back, I would."

Sparks said his resolution doesn't hide Forrest's leadership of the Klan or that he earned his fortune before the Civil War as a slave trader. But Sparks said that later in life, Forrest renounced the Klan, "became a Christian and stood up for African-Americans."

Sparks said he was inspired to include Forrest in a resolution after speaking out against an effort by Middle Tennessee State University to change the name of ROTC building named after the cavalry general.

Calls to remove Confederate imagery from public places multiplied across the South after the 2015 slaying of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said at the time that he supported removing a bust of Forrest from the Tennessee Capitol, but it remains in the lobby between the House and Senate chambers.

After the defeat of the Confederacy, the newly formed Ku Klux Klan elected Forrest its honorary grand wizard, though he publicly denied being involved. Two years later, he ordered the Klan to disband because of its members' increasing violence.

Sparks said he's willing to argue the merits with any lawmaker upset about the passage of the resolution.

"If anybody wants to debate this issue, let's go. Bring 1,000 of them, and I'll debate them by myself," he said. "I have something on my side that they don't have on their side: I've got truth."

As the chamber continued to go through its business for the day, Casada had a brief conversation with Sparks at his desk.

When the floor session ended, Casada said he wanted to understand Sparks' actions. Casada said he also informed Sparks about what he said the author had written other literature that he said was racist in nature.

"We should not commemorate those people," Casada said. "I think we all stood up as a body and said to the state of Tennessee: we're sorry, it won't happen again."

Williams said he and Casada stood with members of the black caucus to show their level of concern "about the process," referring to the legislative system.

"We just want to make sure that the integrity of the consent calendar process is intact," said Williams.

Williams said he and Casada contacted the governor's office to see if he could veto the resolution but the type of resolution that the chamber approved is not signed or vetoed by the governor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.