Change the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School

Signatures 336 total

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1. 1
   Name: Jardyn Lake on Dec 20, 2006

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2. 2
   Name: Daniel Merkan on Dec 20, 2006

   Comments: According to Duval County School Board policy, new schools shall not be named after a living person, and any person given the honor of having a school named after him or her must be recognized for outstanding contributions or service to the Duval County educational system for not less than 10 years and be of good moral character. Given this policy, it would also make sense that existing school names, that were associated with real people, would also follow this criteria. History informs us as to what the mindset of Jacksonville was in the 1950s regarding race relations. Segregation had been the law in Jacksonville for schools until the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. In 1956, almost all of the Florida delegation to Congress signed the Southern Manifesto which abhorred the Brown ruling and stated to "commend the motives of those States which have declared the intention to resist forced integration by any lawful means." In this context, it is clear that the choice to name this high school after N.B. Forrest in 1958 was intended to send a message to the African-American/Black students and families in the public schools that they could expect to be devalued and even threatened if they integrated. The legacy of racism in Jacksonville continues today for there are still ever-present disparities relating to the health, economic prosperity and general well-being for Jacksonville residents which correlate strongly with one's racial background. Choosing the name of N.B. Forrest for a public high school sent the wrong message then, and it sends the wrong message now. Jacksonville, on a whole, will continue to lose opportunities that would benefit the community at large if it continues to neglect large numbers in its community based on their race or class and instead follows its racist traditions. Education is key. Certainly, there are hundreds of men and women who spent their lives in the service of the Duval County School system that if this high school were named after them, virtually everyone would agree they deserved their posthumous recognition. The name of N.B. Forrest would best be left to the history books instead of adorning one of our public schools. I encourage the School Board, with the input of elected community leaders, civic and social groups, the community at large, and the faculty and staff at N.B. Forrest High School, as is their policy, to recognize the racist history behind this school's name, and to change the name. Sincerely, Daniel E. Merkan, MA

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3. 3
   Name: Susanna Birks on Dec 20, 2006

   Comments: any one that hates should not have any thing named after them!!!!!

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4. 4
   Name: Flossie Lake on Dec 20, 2006

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5. 5
   Name: Anonymous on Dec 20, 2006

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6. 6
   Name: Anonymous on Dec 20, 2006

   Comments: Nathan Forrest should not be on a name of any public place. He is a disgrace to history.

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7. 7
   Name: Zetta Wilson on Dec 20, 2006

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8. 8
   Name: Staci S Davis on Dec 21, 2006

   Comments: This is not a slavery issue , this is about an individual who in today standards would be considered a terroist. Nathan B forrest founded an organization that reign terror among innocent African Americans for over a century.

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9. 9
   Name: Jerrell Hawthorne on Dec 21, 2006

   Comments: How can we have a school named after a man known for his infamous behavior.

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10. 10
    Name: Javontae Lee Williams on Dec 21, 2006

    Comments: Jacksonville racist on display.

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11. 11
    Name: Shirley D. Thomas on Dec 21, 2006

    Comments: This man no longer represents who we are or who we want to be as a city, a state or a country. The message that the name was meant to send to the community, choked when the Supreme Court issued the Brown findings and has since slowly suffocated. It is time for all that Nathan B. Forrest represented to be removed from schools - except in the history books. We don't want to forget the lessons that can be taught from our history for we do not wish to repeat it.

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12. 12
    Name: Garrett Boardman on Dec 21, 2006

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13. 13
    Name: Tyhedra Wilson on Dec 21, 2006

    Comments: As much as we have been through in those days. I feel like we are letting our people down if we can not fight to change a name of a school named after a cruel individual. He had no morals about african american human life. So therefore he do not need to be honored.

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14. 14
    Name: Jentri on Dec 23, 2006

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15. 15
    Name: Mindy Middleton on Dec 27, 2006

    Comments: This does not represent 'tradition'. This represents hate. This is not a person our children should aspire to become.

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16. 16
    Name: Sarah Lindsey on Dec 28, 2006

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17. 17
    Name: Crystal Gail Welcome on Dec 28, 2006

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18. 18
    Name: Balinda Welcome on Dec 28, 2006

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19. 19
    Name: Malena Murphy on Dec 28, 2006

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20. 20
    Name: Tamique Virgil on Dec 28, 2006

    Comments: It is very demeaning and crass to have the name of a perdominately black school named after a KKK member. How can the black student body and faculty possibly be proud of their alma mater.

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21. 21
    Name: Dean on Dec 28, 2006

    Comments: I do not believe that anyone should ever condone the acts of the KKK or any racist and prejudice person. If the Duval County school board shows that they are ok with having Nathan B. Forrest as a school name then they are showing that its ok to put a racist person on a pedestal. It is no longer 1958 and the morals and views of our city and country are changing. I also believe that having the name of a racist person as a schools name may make the students feel uncomfortable.Especially for the students who are not "white" and it may be safer for the students to feel welcome and accepted in a school environment.

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22. 22
    Name: Haley Pope on Dec 28, 2006

    Comments: It embaresses me in so many ways that the name of this highschool continues to be used. To be white it makes me feel privilaged in the most disgusting way..and as a floridian it makes me feel like an ignorant southerner. I hope that those who are in power and have the ability to make such very necessary changes come to their senses.This is a golden example of how education as an institution and how government as an institution often do nothing more than perpetuate racial discrimination in our communities.

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23. 23
    Name: Haley Pope on Dec 28, 2006

    Comments: It embaresses me in so many ways that the name of this highschool continues to be used. To be white it makes me feel privilaged in the most disgusting way..and as a floridian it makes me feel like an ignorant southerner. I hope that those who are in power and have the ability to make such very necessary changes come to their senses.This is a golden example of how education as an institution and how government as an institution often do nothing more than perpetuate racial discrimination in our communities.

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24. 24
    Name: Shalane Wine on Dec 28, 2006

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25. 25
    Name: Kenneth Bogins on Dec 28, 2006

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26. 26
    Name: Andrea Dallas on Dec 30, 2006

    Comments: Having a school named after a KKK founder is disgusting. It is telling children that bigotry is not only acceptable, but laudable. I think the name should be changed immediately.

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27. 27
    Name: Aaron Mathieson on Dec 30, 2006

    Comments: It is utterly absurd that a school should be named after anyone with a history like this.

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28. 28
    Name: Aisha on Dec 30, 2006

    Comments: THIS MAN IS NOT A POSITIVE PERSON TO HAVE A SCHOOL NAMED AFTER HIM. ITS LIKE SAYING THAT RACISM IS OKAY AND IT IS NOT..

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29. 29
    Name: Taya Ball on Dec 30, 2006

    Comments: It is ridiculous to be even thinking of NOT changing the name of this highschool! A change so simple can positively impact the social and mental well-being of many of its attendees.

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30. 30
    Name: Arnold Anloague on Jan 1, 2007

    Comments: I support changing the name of Forrest High School. I am shocked at how the high school has kept this name for so long. As a teacher, I am told to be rolemodel for students. What kind of example is the School Board setting for all of the students of Duval County How can this city become a "new Jacksonville" when we have such "old ideas." Many who support the name to stay the same will probably say that it is all about tradition and history. May I remind you that if this country kept every tradition it was handed, many individuals, myself included, would have no rights at all.

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31. 31
    Name: Anonymous on Jan 2, 2007

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32. 32
    Name: Isabell Moore on Jan 2, 2007

    Comments: Plese change the name of this highschool to reflect respect, justice, and the histories of all kinds of students in the Jacksonville area.

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33. 33
    Name: Paulina Hernandez on Jan 2, 2007

    Comments: It is critical for our public education system to reflect the values that it tries to teach our children: equality, fairness, and anti-oppression values. These are not neutral values, however, and the decision to shed a name that symbolizes hatred, separatism, and violence is also not a neutral decision. It is one that moves us closer to an open, honest, diverse and respectful community.

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34. 34
    Name: Patrick Ferreri on Jan 2, 2007

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35. 35
    Name: Edward Exson on Jan 2, 2007

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36. 36
    Name: Emily Rokosch on Jan 3, 2007

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37. 37
    Name: Ernie D Selorio Jr on Jan 3, 2007

    Comments: It is important to recognize that WE MUST ALL learn from what history has taught us. Unfortunately, this is a part of history that is often overlooked, ignored, or not taught in our schools at all. If students, parents, and educators alike knew about this injustice, a name like Nathan B. Forrest and what this name represents would not be tolerated. Honor a person for their great accomplishments to a community, not injustices for an entire society.

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38. 38
    Name: Amy Pesaturo on Jan 3, 2007

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39. 39
    Name: Jeffrey F. Adams on Jan 3, 2007

    Comments: it's outrageous that these people not only WERE held up as models to look up to, but are STILL given praise by having ANYTHING named in their honor! please correct this travesty ASAP!

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40. 40
    Name: Todd Ketcham on Jan 3, 2007

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41. 41
    Name: Karina Bond on Jan 3, 2007

    Comments: What's next Adolf Hitler Prep School! Open your eyes!

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42. 42
    Name: Christy Connell on Jan 3, 2007

    Comments: it is obscene that someone whose vile legacy continues to cause so much pain would be honored by an institution of learning. change the name and embrace diversity and tolerance.

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43. 43
    Name: Nicoletta Ruane on Jan 3, 2007

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44. 44
    Name: Anonymous on Jan 3, 2007

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45. 45
    Name: Breanne Nelson on Jan 3, 2007

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46. 46
    Name: Meredith Tano on Jan 3, 2007

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47. 47
    Name: Kathi Gram on Jan 3, 2007

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48. 48
    Name: Anonymous on Jan 3, 2007

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49. 49
    Name: Anonymous on Jan 3, 2007

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50. 50
    Name: Shane Denmark on Jan 3, 2007

    Comments: Yes, please change the name

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