Thread by @splcenter

Until recently, the names of those sold into slavery by Nathan Bedford Forrest were unknown. A @RhodesCollege professor & his students sought to change that, tracking down their names & later reading them aloud at a truth & reconciliation service. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Gerry, 35
Charles, 48
Dick, 14
Page, 9
Washington, 20
Catherine, 23
An unnamed child, age 18 months
Mary Allen, age unknown
John Henry, 6
Mary Anne, 3

Seventy-four names of people sold into slavery by Nathan Bedford Forrest were read aloud. As their names were read, the more than 600 people attending the service at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis stood. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Sarah, 17
Margo, 16
Mary Jane, 16
Jane, 17
Horatio Eden, age unknown
Mary, aged 14 or 15
Jack, 26
Scott, 24
Tom, 16
Berry, 16

"As a mother, I wasn’t sure I could continue to stand, not because I didn’t want to stand in honor of them but because the grief was just overwhelming, of imagining someone snatching my child out of my arms and selling my child," Rev. Dorothy Wells said. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Kelly, 16
Henry, 6 months
Mary, 29
Martha, 14
Lucy Ann, 30
Solomon, 20
Hampton, 9
Tom, 35
Sarah, 41
Esther, 14

The list of names is not exhaustive; research is ongoing. Since the reading of the names in April, historian Timothy Huebner, who led the project, has found at least 200 more names in Vicksburg. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Ishmal, 21
Harrison, 16
Wilson, 8
John, 25
Moro, 21
George, 21
Solomon, 19
Jubater, 30
Isaac, 45

Outside, an historical marker based on the students’ research on Memphis’ role in the slave trade was unveiled. It seeks to correct the narrative put forth by an historical marker placed in the 1950s, which lauds Nathan Bedford Forrest as a hero. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Irma, 10
Bella, 7
Leanna, 18
Caesar, 45
Daniel, age unknown
Frederick, age unknown
Lander, age unknown
Lightford, age unknown
Benjamin, age unknown

With the help of the National Park Service, the students created a new historical marker that now sits at the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest's home & slave trading business. The new marker explains Memphis' & Forrest's role in the American slave trade. bit.ly/2PO8adD

George, age unknown
Hanover, age unknown
William, 30
Margaret, age unknown
Nancy, 24
Gustas, 5
Julia, 6 months
Henry, 19
Caroline, 18

Movements to take down public symbols of the Confederacy are widespread, but "slavery continues to be a topic which receives less attention in regards to actual places that interpret it, and openly interpret it," said NPS superintendent Tim Good. bit.ly/2PO8adD

Mary Jane, 19
Prince, 45
Isabella, 42
Clancy, 13
Emma, 7
Delia, 5
Charity, 8
Sarah, 40
Sallie, 18

Remembering the South’s history of brutality toward African Americans is the beginning of something larger. "The names that we have just make it all the more precious to me that we really tackle systemic inequality in our country & the legacy of racism." bit.ly/2PO8adD

Isabella, age unknown
Clarissa, 24
Joseph, 4
Preston, age unknown
Mahala, age unknown
Harrison, 14
Mary, 15
Mary Herndon, age unknown

Communities like Memphis are beginning to recognize that Confederate symbols have long played a role in mythologizing the soldiers & generals, like Nathan Bedford Forrest, who fought to defend slavery & white supremacy. It's time to #LoseTheLostCause bit.ly/2JcgDnu