For a long time now there's been a big push in this city to change the name of Forrest High school to something, anything else. The problem is simple - while it's true that Nathan Bedford Forrest was a noted general in the Confederate army, he also happens to be the very first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
But last night the initiative took a real step forward as it was addressed in a committee vote that moved in favor of making the switch - a step that could give this idea a lot more momentum to move towards the local school board (the body that could actually affect the change).
To be honest, I'm sorta of two minds on this issue -- Obviously I don't think it's right to have anything in town (much less a school) glorify the memory of anything associated with the Klan, but at the same time I don't really think people have taken the time to really think this whole thing through. For example, if we're changing the name of Forrest High School, then it only makes sense to re-evaluate how we feel about neighboring Robert E. Lee high school, or my alma mater that's named after another lovable confederate by the name of Edwin Stanton.
I mean, it's noble and all to want to remove traces of lingering negativity from the darker days of southern history from current landmarks and institutions -- but if you're gonna do one then you probably really need to do them all, you know? I mean if we're going to apologize for the sins of the past, there's no sense in doing it halfway, is there?
The funny thing is that the ones the committee is trying to protect -- the students, are the ones who couldn't care less. When I was in school the kids I knew who went to Forrest preferred to call it "Poorest High." In fact, most all the schools in town had endearing nicknames like this that have literally been passed down for generations (I still know people who refer to Terry Parker as "Toilet Paper" and UNF -- the University of North Florida as "You Never Finish"). Adding flame to this fire is the fact that in student polls the student body themselves (which is made up of a number of different ethnic groups) has voted against changing the name.
But above all of these things is this problem that keeps coming up again and again in the modern south based off the idea that if we somehow obfuscate any trace of the civil war, slavery, and decades of civil rights indignities that they will somehow disappear. Like if we rename Forrest High school the KKK will vanish in some cartoon-ish puff of smoke and we'll all be able to hug and smile because, you know -- those things never happened, right?
Worse yet, the way that this debate works out -- it makes it seem like all the people who are against name changes like this are actually somehow in support of the ideas that those names represent, which I'm not really sure is the case at all. Unfortunately perception usually equals reality, and it's not that hard at all to spin this around to where it appears that groups of hardline rednecks are fighting against actions being taken by forward-thinking progressives who are trying to take steps to drag the south kicking and screaming into the politically correct 21st century.
Here's a thought -- how about making this city one that's worth living in for the people that are here now. Maybe instead of arguing over the best way to whitewash the villains of a hundred years ago you could try working together to make Jacksonville the kind of city that doesn't need worry about the meanings behind the names. The kind of town where the past is learned from and grown past instead of being shunned for what people might think about it when they find out the truth.
But last night the initiative took a real step forward as it was addressed in a committee vote that moved in favor of making the switch - a step that could give this idea a lot more momentum to move towards the local school board (the body that could actually affect the change).
To be honest, I'm sorta of two minds on this issue -- Obviously I don't think it's right to have anything in town (much less a school) glorify the memory of anything associated with the Klan, but at the same time I don't really think people have taken the time to really think this whole thing through. For example, if we're changing the name of Forrest High School, then it only makes sense to re-evaluate how we feel about neighboring Robert E. Lee high school, or my alma mater that's named after another lovable confederate by the name of Edwin Stanton.
I mean, it's noble and all to want to remove traces of lingering negativity from the darker days of southern history from current landmarks and institutions -- but if you're gonna do one then you probably really need to do them all, you know? I mean if we're going to apologize for the sins of the past, there's no sense in doing it halfway, is there?
I'm just wondering how long it will take before people remember who the city of Jacksonville was named after.Because if we're gonna rake through the history books and talk about people who treated minorities like shit, then you've gotta have a place right at the top for "Old Hickory" -- who just happens to be the ever-lovin' namesake of our guilt-ridden little town.
The funny thing is that the ones the committee is trying to protect -- the students, are the ones who couldn't care less. When I was in school the kids I knew who went to Forrest preferred to call it "Poorest High." In fact, most all the schools in town had endearing nicknames like this that have literally been passed down for generations (I still know people who refer to Terry Parker as "Toilet Paper" and UNF -- the University of North Florida as "You Never Finish"). Adding flame to this fire is the fact that in student polls the student body themselves (which is made up of a number of different ethnic groups) has voted against changing the name.
But above all of these things is this problem that keeps coming up again and again in the modern south based off the idea that if we somehow obfuscate any trace of the civil war, slavery, and decades of civil rights indignities that they will somehow disappear. Like if we rename Forrest High school the KKK will vanish in some cartoon-ish puff of smoke and we'll all be able to hug and smile because, you know -- those things never happened, right?
Worse yet, the way that this debate works out -- it makes it seem like all the people who are against name changes like this are actually somehow in support of the ideas that those names represent, which I'm not really sure is the case at all. Unfortunately perception usually equals reality, and it's not that hard at all to spin this around to where it appears that groups of hardline rednecks are fighting against actions being taken by forward-thinking progressives who are trying to take steps to drag the south kicking and screaming into the politically correct 21st century.
This debate is about history, and how it's viewed in modern contexts. And the unfortunate and unavoidable truth is that Jacksonville, like so many cities in the Southern United States is built on a history filled with shadows that are easy to be ashamed of. But guess what -- a lot of history is like that. For every American city named after Andrew Jackson there are ten more in Europe named after Alexander the Great, and dozens more that were named in honor of Julius Caesar. The world is filled with cities, schools, libraries and landmarks named after pharaohs, emperors, and kings that were all named something else before their streets were stained with blood.Get something straight -- this is not a race issue.
Here's a thought -- how about making this city one that's worth living in for the people that are here now. Maybe instead of arguing over the best way to whitewash the villains of a hundred years ago you could try working together to make Jacksonville the kind of city that doesn't need worry about the meanings behind the names. The kind of town where the past is learned from and grown past instead of being shunned for what people might think about it when they find out the truth.
After all, Timucus Indians used to call this area Ossachite -- and no one
seems to be all that concerned about how that changed, now do they?
[Listening to: Follow For Now, "Mistreatin' Folks"]
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