12/17/2013 // West Palm Beach, Florida, US // JusticeNewsFlash // Justice News Flash // (press release)

Jacksonville – A Florida high school named after a founding Ku Klux Klan member is set to get a new name. As reported by Yahoo! News, the Duval County Public School Board made the decision to change the name of the Nathan B. Forrest High School in Jacksonville in a unanimous vote on Monday.

The vote followed a campaign to change the name that went viral. An online petition launched by a local resident garnered over 170,000 signatures.

Ty Richmond is quoted as writing in his petition, “The people who live here deserve better… 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.”

Forrest was a Confederate general and the first “grand wizard” of the KKK.

Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is quoted as stating to Action News Jacksonville of the school board’s decision, “I’m very encouraged… Jacksonville is too much of a beautiful city to have that ugly blemish.”

This report is provided by Justice News Flash – Florida Legal News

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