By Albert Lin
A Florida school board on Monday voted unanimously (7-0) to change the name of a Jacksonville high school that honors former Confederate General and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan B. Forrest. Perhaps the only question is why it took so long at a 1,300-student school that is 61.6 percent Black; the school board struck down a previous attempt to change the name in 2007, voting 5-2 against.
“We recognize that we cannot and are not seeking to erase history,” said board member Constance Hall. “For too long and too many, this name has represented the opposite of unity, respect, and equality.”