Petition by
omotayo richmond
Jacksonville, FL
I moved to Jacksonville from Long Island 12 years ago. Since then, I've put down roots here. I've helped raise a beautiful daughter here. This place is my home now, and the people who live here deserve better than a high school named for the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.
That's right, Jacksonville is home to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named in honor of a Confederate general who infamously slaughtered Black Union soldiers who'd already surrendered and who was a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. The school got its name in 1959, when white civic leaders wanted to protest a court decision that called for integrating public schools.
I don't want my daughter, or any student, going to a school named under those circumstances. This is a bad look for Florida -- with so much racial division in our state, renaming Forrest High would be a step toward healing.
Five years ago, the school board voted 5 - 2 to keep the name. But a lot has changed in five years. All five members who voted for Nathan Bedford Forrest have been replaced. There's a new school superintendent who publicly stated that he would support a push from our community to change the name. Now is the time to right a historical wrong. African American Jacksonville students shouldn't have to attend a high school named for someone who slaughtered and terrorized their ancestors one more school year.
In the end, I want my child to be able to go anywhere in Jacksonville and be proud of where she is. That can't happen with Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. Please support changing the name today.
To:
Nikolai P. Vitti, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools
I'm shocked and outraged that in this day and age, any student would be forced to attend a school named for Nathan Bedford Forrest. I urge you to immediately change the school's name.
It is especially troubling that more than half of Forrest High attendees are African American -- the school is named for someone who would have kept their ancestors enslaved and who helped lead an organization, the KKK, that went on to terrorize, intimidate, and disenfranchise Black people for nearly a century.
Naming a public high school for so divisive a figure is a relic of a bygone era -- a legacy that must be actively rejected. I urge you to reject the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest by renaming Forrest High immediately.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
News
Reached 100,000 signatures
Huge Meeting in @ Mandarin High School We Need Your Attendance !!
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-09-16/story/duval-school-board-member-fischer-host-meeting-forrest-name-change-one
Duval School Board member Fischer to host meeting with Forrest name change as one topic
Duval County School Board member Jason Fischer plans to host two town hall-style meetings where the topics will focus on the district's 2013-14 budget and the possible name change of Nathan B. Forrest High School. The first meeting will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at Mandarin High School.
National News !!!
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
Usa today and the washington post picked up the story ...we hope to generate the funds for the school name change as well DCPS (duval county public school) system is hurting enough giving in a time of need and pain recovery is essential to healing http://www.gofundme.com/HateAintHeratige
Reached 75,000 signatures
Change is On the Horizon!
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
we started two Facebook groups one especially for Students and Alumni
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1242unction/
and a group of concerned Locals Who want change
https://www.facebook.com/renamenathanbedfordforresthighschoolinjax?ref=hl
we need more LOCAL support !!!! finally made the news today!!
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
Petition grows to change school's name | News - Home http://www.news4jax.com/news/petition-grows-to-change-schools-name/-/475880/21767172/-/2kvbj8z/-/index.html
Petition grows to change school's name
Nathan Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate army and he also served as the first Grand Wizard of the KKK, before distancing himself from the Klan. Some parents say it's all part of history, but an online petition calling for a name change is gaining popularity.
50,000 strong
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
50,000 were are going to make this change this YEAR !!!! we have combined forces with some local grassroots organizations present this petition along with a completed survey with possible new names thant you ALL for sharing the desire for change
Reached 50,000 signatures
A Brief History Of The KKK
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
http://www.uhv.edu/asa/articles/KKKAmericasForgottenTerrorists.pdf
Reached 25 signatures
Black Eye for Jacksonville
omotayo richmond
by omotayo richmond
Petition Organizer
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110908/met_353875219.shtml
