The Real Rosewood

Author tells her family’s Rosewood reality

By DOREEN VIANZON
Contributing Writer

Even though the sleepy town of Rosewood lost its life and inhabitants in a 1923 massacre, Liz Jenkins said Wednesday night she is trying to breathe life into its memory with her historical account.”We don’t want to see it repeated,” said Jenkins, whose aunt, Mahulda Carrier, was one of the Rosewood survivors. “If we accept the fact that we are different and respect each other, then we’ll have a better society. We need to have dialogue.”

Jenkins, who spoke to about 25 people at the Civic Media Center, said she was “consumed” by the Rosewood story ever since her mother told her and her three siblings about their aunt’s experience and the racism which existed in 1923.

She said she wants to educate people about the truth of what happened in Rosewood through her book, I, too, Lived Rosewood.

“I’m telling the story for her, and I pray that when I get my book out I will heal,” she said. “It’s an ugly history, but people make it ugly.”

Joe Courter, manager of the CMC, said he likes to have speakers tell about their own and their families’ experiences to educate people about history.

“The events of our past were made and experienced by people like ourselves,” he said. “When you have a face to put with a historical event, that historical event becomes more real to you.”

Jenkins said even though it is painful to think about the abuse her aunt endured, she is not speaking out about the Rosewood massacre to attack anyone.

“I am healing even as I talk now,” she said. “I don’t need to hate people who I didn’t even know.”

Jesse Kershner, a 1995 UF history graduate, said he wanted to hear Jenkin’s speech because he is interested in African American history.

“I think it’s really important because it serves as a backdrop of the intolerance still around today in Gainesville,” he said.

Courter said people who want to make a difference need to educate themselves about past struggles.

“If you’re going to be a person who cares about their society and is committed towards working for social change, it’s important to understand the roots of social change that preceded our generation,” Courter said.

Jenkins said the people of Rosewood had a normal, happy life together before the chaos ensued, and the mob burned their own.

“They had juke joints, they did moonshine, they enjoyed life too,” she said.