PULASKI, Tenn. — On a busy street in downtown Pulaski sits a "Resurrection of Valor" -- honoring a part of history that has been buried beneath the city's well-known and dubious past with the Ku Klux Klan.
"We've had a dark history," said Pastor Ricky Keith, "but the sun shines today."
Saturday marked the dedication of a new statue honoring the 110th and 111th Regiments of the United States Colored Troops in Giles County, who were a critical part of the U.S. Army's success defending against Confederate forces. It's a history that hasn't been made known to many, which is why the Community Advisory Committee on Inclusive Recognition and Acknowledgement and the City of Pulaski partnered on the project.
A USCT reenactor said at the dedication, "You may have been forgotten on some of history's pages, but you remain in our hearts and minds for ceaseless ages... Men in blue. "
The bronze statue of a child and a solider, along with a plaque, will be displayed within the Cave Spring Heritage Plaza.
"The United States Colored Troops story is magnified, and this is a powerful space," explained artist Pamela Keller. "This location, at the foot of Fort Hill, where the 110th and 111th mustered their units and where some returned to settle after the war, allows the visitor to explore the relationship between the meaning of art and its location."
Educator Vivian Sims helped devise the plan for the memorial, something she said she wanted to do ever since learning of the USCT's existence. To her it is a true resurrection of valor, hence the name.
"That's why I chose the word 'resurrection,'" Sims said. "We're going in a different direction, in a positive direction."
"We have to know where we came from in order to know where we're going," added Janice Tucker, co-chair of the advisory committee. "And even today, we're headed in the right step. We're moving forward. We're not going backwards. We're not going to let our vision perish."
Keller says she is proud there is now a significant symbol to the fight the troops fought.
"People worked together for justice. That is a story to bring pride to our community."