Truman's Conscience

A high school endures whispers from the past

Currently there promises to be a lively discussion over at Flog [Flolio Weekly Blog] about the results of a survey regarding a possible name change for a high school on the westside of Jacksonville: Nathan Bedord Forrest Hight School. To date the discussion has taken on a surreal context as the debate centers on whether or not a survey legitimizes a choice on whether to initiate a name change or not.

Take a look at this photo. Anything remotely tied to any reference to a painful and dark past that tore a nation apart that had to be sewn back together again like a Frankenstein monster with a recalcitrant south jumping on the back of Jim Crow to put off a future they wanted to deny is beyond vulgar - it is repugnant. Wrapping your arms around a name that serves only to remind one of those connections to a practice seen as lawful in the first 'four score and seven years' has no defense. Period. Just ask the ghost of the two fellows swinging from that tree.

Give me a break. A poll or survey only serves to put the name in a context for legitimization in the first place as though it merits consideration. Change the damn name.