03-07-2023 Presentations: Black History Month Essay Contest WinnersCITY OF OCOEE
BLACK HISTORY MONTH ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
OVERALL WINNER
Lake Whitney Elementary School: Olivia Guinn
FIRST PLACE WINNERS
Citrus Elementary School: Cataleya Pasha
HOPE Charter School: Bailey Bucher
Innovation Montessori Ocoee School: Trillian Fischler
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THE OCOEE MASSACRE
BY: Olivia Guinn
Imagine this, you are an African American who has
just earned the right to vote. You’ve paid your poll tax and
you have your approval from the judge. On voting day you
are not only turned away, but you are met with nothing but
violence and brutality. It was November 2nd, 1920, the
day of the presidential election. This day will forever be
known as the bloodiest event in political history, The
Ocoee Massacre.
It was November 2nd, 1920. African Americans were
finally allowed to vote! It was a great day for the black
community of Ocoee. But the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and
much of the white community of Ocoee absolutely did not
want this to happen. They threatened any African
Americans who were going to try to vote with violence. But
that didn’t stop Julius ‘July’ Perry and Mose Norman, two
African American farmers and activists. Mose Norman in
particular was not afraid of the KKK’s threats, and wanted
to make adjustments to help stop racism. He showed up to
the polls on election day and was refused on his first try.
He then went to John Cheney, a white attorney and district
Judge. Cheney represented African American clients
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during the segregation era and supported voter
registration. He had actually helped Norman get his
approval to vote. Cheney told him to go back a 2nd time
and try again, so that’s what Norman did. Only this time he
was met with an angry mob. When Norman returned with
Cheney’s message, gunshots were fired. He managed to
escape to Perry’s home, who tried to help and hide him.
He was followed, and ultimately dozens of black people
were killed, several injured, and more than 200 were run
out of town, fleeing from bullets and their burning homes.
July Perry knew he wasn’t going to survive the night. He
told his daughter, Coretha, to take her mom and run as
fast as she could out of the city of Ocoee. That was the
last time Coretha had ever seen her father. Gunfire
ensued, and the people of Ocoee’s black community ran
for safety. Perry was tragically beaten, shot, jailed,
dragged and lynched near Judge Cheney’s home.
The tragedy doesn’t end there. After the Massacre,
Perry’s land was stolen and sold by one of Ocoee’s
wealthiest white landowners B.M. Sims. False documents
were even made blaming the riot on the African
Americans, and ultimately this event was buried in history.
However, the truth is starting to come to light. Governor
Ron Desantis has signed a Bill called “Florida House Bill
1213”. This law will direct schools across Florida to teach
students about historical events, like what really happened
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during Ocoee’s Election Day massacre. A section of state
road 438 in Ocoee has been named July Perry highway. A
historical marker will also be dedicated in another part of
the city. But we need to do more.
Now that the truth of this tragic event is finally being
revealed to the public, teachers need to start teaching
about this historic event. We should have been teaching
about this event in school in the first place and the media
should not have kept this hidden for over 100 years. It is
so important to remember the lives of the victims and the
acts of bravery not just during Black history month, but all
year long.
Franks Bell, one of Perry’s surviving daughters said
“Despite everything Daddy experienced, he leaned on his
Christian faith to overcome hate. He was all about love, no
matter what. That’s why he will always be a hero.” And
that’s what Mose Norman and July Perry were, they were
heroes.
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