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Hello,

My name is Walter Pope Hunter, IV. I am proud graduate of my J.J. Finley Elementary School c/o ‘98. I am be proud to be a Finley Flyer until I learned that J.J. Finley was more than a Confederate soldier who lived in the area. Please let’s change the name. I am a business owner in Gainesville who voted for the half cent sales tax increase. I gladly pay our portion to the State for funding the local school system. I hope some of those funds will pay for the costs associated with a name change.

My mother Karen Hunter taught first and second grade at Finley for 31 years and loved the school with all her heart. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us. She taught there until her doctors advised her not to in May of 2012. She loved every single student she taught. I know she would support a name change if she knew her beloved school would be associated with a man who advocated for racism.

As you know, J.J. Finley was an architect of lynching in northern Florida as a general in the Confederate States Army and a Circuit Court judge before and after the Civil War. In 1930, a Gainesville elementary school was named in his honor, to memorialize him and his beliefs. I email to demand that the School Board of Alachua County retire this racist confederate memorial in Gainesville by removing Finley's name from this school. This school is one example of the historic and ongoing normalization of racism in Gainesville.

Additionally, I respectfully insist the following from the School Board of Alachua County, Alachua County Public Schools, and the City of Gainesville:

-An immediate plan to remove J.J. Finley's name from all signs, social media references, and the school website

-Teach children at this elementary school about U.S. Congressman Josiah T. Walls, from Gainesville. Walls was the third African American to serve in Congress. During Walls' initial term, Walls was removed from office and replaced in Congress by Finley.

-Use an appropriate portion J.J. Finley PTA monies to fund a playground at a poorly funded elementary school, as a reparation for J.J. Finley Park, built in 2019 by the Gainesville City Commission on Alachua County Public School property at the school

-Donate an appropriate portion of football parking funds to back the school or to fund more student experiences, in perpetuity, from the football parking concession at this elementary school, located a few blocks from the University of Florida football stadium

-Apologize for several decades of honor and memorial to Jesse Finley, and the associated normalization of racism

-Rename the school for Josiah T. Walls

I support an immediate name change process. We ask that the School Board stand on the right side of history, denouncing racial injustice and the normalization of racism, to promote a healthy and exceptional learning environment for all children.

Sincerely,

Walter Pope Hunter, IV



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