Fla. high school named after KKK member to be renamed

A Jacksonville high school is finally getting a name change after over 50 years. The high school was named after Ku Klux Klan member Nathan B. Forrest who was also a confederate general in the civil war. Forrest also happened t be the first grand wizard of the Klan.

The school board voted unanimously on Monday to rename the building. A Jacksonville resident, Omotayo Richmond, started a Change.org petition that collected more than 160,000 signatures. Residents attempted a name change in 2007, but the motion was struck down.

According to FirstCoastNews, the name change will occur in July 2014 and will be decided on by students of the school according to Duval Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

"I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to smash some old paradigm of hate and racism here," Richmond said according to USA Today. "This city is too beautiful for that blemish to be on it."

Forrest High was integrated in 1971 and is a mostly attended by black students.