The small town of Franklin in Tennessee honors the Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War with a statue to commemorate the historic past of the city.  

According to the New York Times, a new bronze statue built in Franklin’s town square depicts a life-size soldier from the U.S. Colored Troops, the largely Black regiments who were recruited for the U.S. Army during the Civil War.  

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The New York Times report mentions the Fuller Story Project, a local group of organizations within the city’s government created to place educational markers and a bronze statue of US Colored Troops soldiers around the Square. The project aims to depict the African American experience before, during, and after the Civil War.  

Church clergy also played a large role in getting the statue placed in the town square. Hewitt Sawyers, a pastor at West Harpeth Primitive Baptist Church, spoke with the New York Times regarding the gravity of having this statue as a Black man. 

Sawyers has for decades driven past the monument known as “Chip”, which depicts a Confederate soldier, and has always wanted the 37-foot local statue removed. 

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“Chip represented a large part of the reason I was not part of the downtown arena,” Mr. Sawyers, a Baptist minister, said in the New York Times article. “Every time I went around that square, it was a reminder of what had gone on.” 

According to a report in the Tennessean, Pastor Chris Williamson of Strong Tower Bible Church stated the statue of the USCT soldier stands close to eye-level, so viewers can look into his eyes and see his wisdom. 

“This is a start, but there should be more education around the subject, especially taught in schools and taught in museums about this rich history,” Gary Burke, a USCT reenactor, said to The Tennessean. “It’s a long-overdue recognition of the original freedom fighters who fought to solidify their freedoms.” 

The “Chip” statue still remains. However, the Fuller Project and other city officials are working to add more monuments to commemorate Black stories, and their commitment still stands tall.