Thread by @MTSUGoreCenter

5 years ago today, Black students started the latest wave of protests against #ForrestHall at #MTSU, the ROTC building named after Confederate general & KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest.

This is a thread confronting the Confederacy on campus.

#ForrestHall was built in 1954 and named Nathan Bedford Forrest Memorial Hall. The name fit with the University's push in the 1940s and 1950s to align itself with Lost Cause mythology and Confederate symbolism.

Under the presidency of Q.M. Smith, MTSU formed a strong link between the name "Blue Raiders" and N.B. Forrest. Like Forrest, our mascot was raiding the Blue Army, or Union Army. Forrest's likeness appeared everywhere on campus by the 1950s. #ForrestHall

In 1961, one year before MTSU admitted its first Black student, the school introduced Forrest as its official mascot. A student dressed up as the Confederate leader and rode a horse at football games and in Homecoming parades. #ForrestHall

In the 1960s, MTSU also welcomed its first white fraternities. Kappa Alpha in particular used the Confederate flag as part of the frat's image. They adorned the flag at sporting events. "Dixie" was also the school's official fight song. #ForrestHall

In the 1968, the Keathley University Center opened. At the time, it was *the* student union where everyone gathered to eat, organize, and socialize. It was adorned with a large plaque of Nathan Bedford Forrest. #ForrestHall

When Black students began attending MTSU in the 1960s, this is the racist atmosphere they encountered. In 1968, one Black student from Memphis, Sylvester Brooks, had enough. He decided to speak out in @MTSUSidelines.

Brooks, left, with fellow student Robert Rucker.

He wrote a guest column called, "Dixie: What Does it Mean?" This column started a huge debate on campus to rid the school of Forrest and its Confederate symbols. #ForrestHall

Link to his column: digital.mtsu.edu/cdm/singleitem…

MTSU President Scarlett left it to the students to decide what to do. The Associated Student Body, then the student government, held debates for weeks as Sidelines continued to publish opinion pieces on the matter.

Brooks speaking before the student government about Forrest.

Ultimately, Brooks and his supporters lost the larger argument. A few things changed--Dixie stopped being the fight song and the Forrest mascot was replaced with a dog. #ForrestHall

Forrest remained on campus. You could still find his image on items sold at the school bookstore, his plaque still adorned the KUC wall, and there was still #ForrestHall.

In 1969, Black Student Union was founded. They continued to push for change.

BSU got the first Black history courses started. They held their own educational events. In 1970, they sponsored "Get Hip Whitey Week" to teach their fellow students about Black history & culture. #ForrestHall

In response to BSU's actions, some person or persons burned two crosses on campus the week of December 7, 1970. To this day, the perpetrators are unknown. #ForrestHall

Throughout the 1970s, students continued to debate Forrest on campus. But the next major achievement for Black student activists wouldn't come until 1989, when MTSU removed the Forrest plaque from the KUC after Black students protested it. #ForrestHall

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, along with other interest groups, were angry about the Forrest plaque removal. MTSU ignored their requests to bring it back. #ForrestHall

Which brings us back to #ForrestHall. By 1990, it became the last physical Confederate symbol on campus. Amber Perkins led the group "Students Against Forrest Hall" during the 2006-2007 school year.

MTSU's student government passed a resolution to rename the building, but then rescinded it after white students presented a petition with nearly 1,000 signatures in support of #ForrestHall.

#ForrestHall survived protests yet again. The next time Black students protested the building was on August 27, 2015.

Throughout the 2015-2016 school year, Black students and their allies held protests and participated in public forums about #ForrestHall.

Eventually, both the Forrest Hall Task Force and the Tennessee Board of Regents voted to rename the building. This was all because of the work of Black student activists. #ForrestHall

Photo of task force final meeting.

Because of the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, the Tennessee Historical Commission must approve all removals or modifications of public structures related to the Civil War. After the Sons of Confederate Veterans intervened, the THC voted against renaming #ForrestHall.

And here we are. #ForrestHall has survived 50+ years of protests. But as always, Black students persist. The latest protest against Forrest Hall occurred on May 31, 2020 as part of #BLM protests after the murder of George Floyd.

Let's fight for a better world. #BlackLivesMatter

To see more primary sources related to this history dating back to 1930, explore the Forrest Hall Protest Collection available to the public in @mtsulibrary's digital collections: digital.mtsu.edu/cdm/landingpag…

In 2018, we held a panel discussion with Sylvester Brooks & other Black alumni to discuss this racist history.

Watch the Movement 68 Symposium in its entirety on our YouTube channel (with captions).

You can also revisit this history in our online exhibit, Movement 68: Honoring 50 Years of Black Student Activism at MTSU.

movement68.wordpress.com