Confederate monuments and statues continue to be removed throughout the country and now one Atlanta high school is being renamed to erase any reference to the Ku Klux Klan. The Atlanta Board of Education voted unanimously Monday, April 12, to change the name of Forrest Hill Academy to Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The new name is expected to be in place by the time students return to the southwest Atlanta alternative school in August.
Forrest Hill Academy had been named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and an early leader of the KKK. District officials approved the renaming of four other district schools in recent months, all of which were associated with historical figures who held racist views.
“It is very important that we understand our history,” school board member Michelle Olympiadis said during a board meeting to reports the AJC. “It’s very important that we understand where we are coming from. It gives a lot of credence to our character and our morals.”
The board’s vice-chair, Eshé Collins, added that the decision has also led to discussions about renaming the street the school is located on, Forrest Hills Drive.
Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron died in January at the age of 86. In 1974, the revered Atlanta Brave broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record when he smacked his 715th out of the park. Aaron was also fielding hate mail and racist letters during the time and received over 3,000 death threats for shattering Ruth’s accomplishment which stood for 33 years.
The renaming is just one of hundreds across the country that are removing Confederate imagery and slavery symbols.
