Hey, it’s the name of the neighborhood it’s in, but as if this story couldn’t get any more sweeter!
AL.com
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — A Florida high school is getting a new name and a fresh start after its school board on Tuesday voted to remove from the school a name most famously associated with the Ku Klux Klan.
Nathan B. Forrest High School will become known as Westside High School, named for the neighborhood around the school, according to the Florida Times-Union. The unanimous decision came after months of public discussion.
The Times Union reported that recent polls of students and other community members indicated a majority preferred Westside over another option, Firestone High, which is the name of the street on which the school is located. Current board rules prevent naming schools after people, dead or alive.
Though many alumni of the school opposed the change, students were mostly in favor, the newspaper reported.
The school was first named after Forrest in 1959. Forrest, a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, was one of the earliest members of the burgeoning post-war KKK.
According to biographies of Forrest, he also served as “grand wizard” of the organization.
More Stories
What happened to Jared Taylor?
Had a great time at the RNC (mostly because we’re nuts)!
All Out for April 23, Stone Mountain Georgia