ROSEWOOD MASSACRE REMEMBERED

In January 1923, the Black community in Rosewood, Florida, faced a horrific tragedy that lasted five days. It all kicked off on the 1st of January, when a mob of over 200 white supremacists invaded the town, looking for a Black man named Jesse Hunter, who had been wrongly accused of assault by Fannie Taylor, a white woman. When they couldn't find him, the mob went on a rampage, terrorising the community, lynching individuals, and destroying property. For three days, the Black residents fought back, pushing the mob to retreat and regroup. However, on the fifth day, the mob returned with reinforcements, k*lling around 30 to 40 Black men, women, and children, and setting the town ablaze. Many residents fled into the swamps or escaped by train to the northern Florida city of Gainesville, never to return. The following day, about 100 to 150 white men returned to Rosewood to burn properties. People later learned Taylor had made up her story to cover up an affair with a white man.

The Rosewood Massacre didn't get as much attention as other racial violence events, like the 1921 Tulsa race massacre or the 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till. That is, until 1982, when journalist Gary Moore brought the tragic story to light through a series of articles. This renewed interest prompted elderly survivors to seek restitution. In 1994, the Florida state legislature passed a bill that provided $150,000 each to nine living survivors, including Minnie Lee Langley (1913-95), while only half of the descendant families received $2,000 each in compensation.

The bill also created a scholarship program for Rosewood descendants, allowing them to attend Florida state universities or colleges without paying tuition. This was a groundbreaking move, as it marked the first time a US legislative body offered reparations to Black individuals. However, survivors said the amount the state set aside to pay for descendants’ education was far too small. 

In 1997, director John Singleton brought the story to the big screen with his film, ‘Rosewood.’

Sources:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rosewood-massacre-florida-1923

https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/jan/05

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/12/18/minnie-langley-rosewood-survivor-and-fighter

https://ir.law.fsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1498&context=lr

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2019/05/03/25-years-ago-florida-compensated-survivors-of-rosewood-racial-violence

https://time.com/5887247/reparations-america-rosewood-massacre