AAE recently visited Rosewood, Fla. This historic site was the scene of a racially motivated massacre against African-American residents that took place over a few days in January 1923. A violent White mob invaded the town after a woman claimed she was assaulted by an African-American resident.
The ensuing violence that was sparked by the invasion of the mob of savages resulted in as many as 150 deaths, and destroyed virtually the entire town, wiping out homes, schools, businesses and houses of worship.
The historical photo above shows the immense damage caused by the racist attack. Later, survivors and some descendants of the African-American residents who were traumatized received a paltry settlement from the state of Florida to address their "mental anguish." This incident is yet another in a long line of attacks against innocent Black communities in the United States that have tainted the nation's racist history.
Today, there is one standing house in the Rosewood area, in addition to the two-sided historical marker that is pictured above. More needs to be done to tell the story of this racist tragedy and to redevelop the area to restore its heritage and return people to rebuild the community.
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