An Atlanta high school will experience a new beginning and, appropriately, will be renamed Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy.
First reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Aaron will become the namesake of the alternative high school formerly known as Forrest Hill Academy. "Forrest" refers to Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. It's not the first time that references of Forrest have been replaced or removed. In Tennessee, for instance, a bust of Forrest was removed from the state Capitol last month. In 2017, a statue of Forrest was removed from a Memphis park where he and his wife were buried.
In the latest decision, Forrest's name was dropped from a school and replaced with one of the most influential and honorable symbols of progress in state history. Aaron, the Braves great and longtime resident of Atlanta, was not only a great ballplayer but a heroic figure in the civil rights movement. He passed away in January of this year at 86 years old.
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“It is very important that we understand our history. It’s very important that we understand where we are coming from,” said board member Michelle Olympiadis of the name change.
The name change came as a result of a unanimous vote, which was required in order to push through the move. Ordinarily, due to a district policy, a school can't be named after a person until five years after their death, though that rule can be waived by another unanimous agreement from the board.
Aaron will also become the namesake of a baseball field in Jacksonville due to another recent plan that was announced this week.
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