Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry says he plans on signing Hemming Park renaming bill

Jacksonville FL — Wednesday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry signaled his support for a measure that will change the name of Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville to James Weldon Johnson Park. Curry says he plans on signing the newly passed legislation from city council within the next week.

“I’m proud of their accomplishment last night and look forward to signing that bill.” Curry says.

When asked about a timeline on when the signage at Hemming and Confederate Parks could be changed, Curry said there isn’t one yet, but once it’s signed it will be part of the city’s priority list.

Back in June, WOKV talked with the CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society, Alan Bliss, about the history of Hemming Park. Bliss says the park was named after a Jacksonville native after he gifted, the now taken down, Confederate statue that stood on a stone pillar in the middle of the park. The statue was dedicated on June 16th, 1898.    

“It was the year after that, that the Jacksonville City Council proposed to rename the park where the monument stood in honor of Mr. Hemming.” Bliss says.

Bliss says from his understanding Mr. Hemming was a Confederate veteran. Before the name change to Hemming Park, the park was known as St. James Park.

When discussing James Weldon Johnson, Bliss called him a giant of U.S. and African American history.

“It was he and his brother, Rosamond, who were the authors of the song that’s generally acknowledged as the Black National Anthem”.

Bliss says Johnson had a distinguished career in education, diplomacy, was a leading voice for social justice and was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance.

He says a name change at Hemming Park has historical context due to the sensitivity that some people have to the fact that the park is located directly at the seat of government for the city and county.

Cox Media Group