JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For years, Action News Jax has shared the story of survivors from Dozier School for Boys.
Most recently, we told you about the reparation payments that many received across the state. Now, many survivors are receiving diplomas after the abuse they suffered.
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Jacksonville grandad Williams Batts is finally getting much more.
His family came together to give him a surprise graduation party.
“He’s gone to all of our graduations. He has like six grandchildren. So middle school, kindergarten, you know, 15 plus graduations,” Journey Butler, Batts’ granddaughter, said.
Butler said her grandad never misses a moment for his family, but at 79 years old, he’d never had his moment.
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“It was nice to know that something that was so far out of your reach all of a sudden is put right in your reach. And you experience what you had looked at all your life. So finally, you got a chance to experience it,” Batts said.
Batts spent nine months and three weeks at Dozier School for Boys.
“The ones that (were) supposed to be protecting us, they (were) the ones abusing us. They used us as human slaves … but we (were) young. We did what we (were) told,” Batts said.
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In 2024, the Department of Education sent out reparations and diplomas to hundreds of survivors.
“All of the years you’ve been doing things for others, you don’t really think that you’re being noticed. All of a sudden, it shows up that there was someone watching all the time,” Batts said.
Batts still hopes that someone is held accountable for the wrongdoing at Dozier School for Boys.
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