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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2021)
April 21, 2021 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 9 Atlanta High School Is Being Renamed After Baseball Icon Hank Aaron After Years Of Being Named After KKK Leader A n Atlanta high school formerly named after a KKK leader is now be- ing renamed in honor of the late, great baseball icon Hank Aaron, Blavity reports. The Atlanta Board of Education voted unani- mously to rename Forest Hill Academy in honor of the late baseball icon Hank Aaron, who passed away earlier this year at 86. The high school was formerly named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and the first Grand Wiz- ard of the Ku Klux Klan. The school is one in a long line of institutions reconciling with their racist symbols and past. According to The South- ern Poverty Law Center, there are 718 identified Confederate monuments in the nation as of 2019. More than 300 existing in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and 100 identified public K-12 schools and three higher learning institutions af- ter Confederate leaders. “It is very important that we understand our history. It’s very import- ant that we understand where we are coming from. It gives a lot of cre- dence to our character and our morals,” said Michelle Olympiadis, a school board member. Aaron was a legendary baseball player and a human rights advocate. He played 23 seasons in the major leagues, 21 of those with the Atlanta Braves, breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record during his time with the team. In 2014, Aaron spoke about the nation’s history of racism, say- ing, “We are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record. If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There’s PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN WINTER/BLAVITY By BOTWC Staff not a whole lot that has changed.” The Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy will start a new chapter for the high school, in- stilling its students with the values of the late legend. Under normal circumstances, district policy requires a five- year waiting period after a person passes before naming a school in their honor. That requirement can be waived if all board members agree. The district also has plans to change Henry W. Grady High School, Grady Stadium, and Jo- seph E. Brown Middle School, all of which are linked to historic rac- ist figures. Forest Hills Drive, the street where the school resides, will also undergo a name change. This change is the first step towards long-last- ing progress and right- ing the wrongs of this nation’s racist, white su- premacist delusion. Originally published on BecauseOfThemWeCan. com News Senator Patterson Passes “Domicile Unknown” Bill The Skanner News SALEM – Senate Bill 850 passed the Ore- gon State Senate today near-unanimous sup- port. Senator Deb Pat- terson (D-Salem) spon- sored this bill to ensure that the state tracks the deaths of unhoused Or- egonians. “For the sake of those living and dying on our streets, we must accurately track data around the deaths of our houseless neigh- bors. A collective de- sire exists to address Oregon’s houseless cri- sis and provide shelter and care,” said Senator Patterson, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health Care. Senate Bill 850 re- quires an unhoused person’s residence be marked “Domicile Un- known” at their time of death, allowing the state to better track information about all who call Oregonians home. “By tracking this data, we can learn if the steps we are taking are work- ing and we can prevent complacency. We can- not allow this crisis to feel normal or okay,” said Senator Patterson. “Most importantly, we must provide some humanity and dignity in death. By tracking the data we can learn about their full lives, we can become informed about their challeng- es, and honor the pain and grief of their loved ones.” Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury spoke in support of the bill at a public hearing. Multnomah County has produced an annual re- port entitled “Domicile Unknown” since 2011. That report reveals im- portant demographic and statistical informa- tion, shares the stories of our neighbors and informs needed policy changes. Senate Bill 850 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
