On Tuesday, the Jacksonville City Council approved renaming Hemming Park to James Weldon Johnson Park after a contentious debate.

The park was previously named after Charles C. Hemming, a Confederate veteran who donated the statute of a Confederate solider. The statue was recently removed by the city after protests broke out over George Floyd's death.

Who was James Weldon Johnson? James was a Jacksonville - LaVilla native who co-wrote the iconic song, "Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing," which is now known as the Black National Anthem. He was also Florida’s first African American lawyer after Reconstruction, the principal of Stanton, which he converted into Florida’s first black public high school, a U.S. Consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, the first African American head of the NAACP, and a respected university professor.⁣⁣

The park features two fountains and water features, lots of shaded seating, outdoor games, a kid area, murals, food trucks and live music at lunch, a monorail “people mover” station, beautiful views of our city and is walking distance from the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) The Jacksonville Main Library, several restaurants & more!