The Real Rosewood

DOUG FINGER/The Gainesville Sun

Robie A. Mortin, a survivor of the Rosewood massacre, helps unveil the Rosewood historical marker at a dedication Tuesday, May 4, 2004.

A decade ago, after months of sometimes rancorous debate in the Legislature, Gov. Lawton Chiles signed into law the precedent-setting compensation bill for the survivors of the 1923 Rosewood massacre and their descendants.

The $2.1 million package was the state’s way of apologizing for what Chiles referred to as a “blind act of bigotry.”

On Tuesday morning - 10 years to the day after Chiles signed the reparations bill - Gov. Jeb Bush was in Rosewood to dedicate a Florida Heritage Landmark roadside marker. The cast aluminum sign memorializes those who died and those whose lives were forever altered by the racially motivated violence that decimated the town.

“This marker will insure that Rosewood is remembered,” Bush told the hundreds who turned out for the event about 40 miles southwest of Gainesville. Bush said the marker was one more way to insure that “The tragedy of Rosewood will be remembered, not repeated.”

Among those on hand for the dedication ceremony was Allenetta Robinson “Robie” Mortin, 89, W. Palm Beach. She was 8 years old when at the first sign of trouble, her father put her and a younger sister on a train headed to Chiefland, where an older sister lived.

“My father knew there was trouble coming and he got us out of here,” Mortin
recalled. “This was a good life here in Rosewood. I could walk the woods all by myself and we had a good school - I could already read and write real well before we left.”

Until Tuesday, Mortin said her brief return visits to Rosewood were sad events.

“Today this is a real joyful time for me,” Mortin said following the hourlong dedication program.

Her memories of Rosewood and its violent end were among those collected by scholars from the University of Florida, Florida State University and Florida A&M University, who were directed by the Legislature to research Rosewood. The 1994 Legislature’s decision to pay compensation was largely based on the final 500-page report.

Researchers determined that a white woman accused a black man of assaulting her, setting off a week of violence by white men against the residents of the predominantly black town.

When it was over, two whites and five blacks were dead and all but one building in what had been a town of at least 100 residents had been burned to the ground. Those who could escape left with little more than the clothes on their backs. They left behind their community school and the churches and the homes they had established as well as the businesses they had owned.

The incident was rarely even whispered about until the 1980s when a few reports surfaced in the news media. Slowly, survivors and descendants of victims and survivors began finding each other and talking.

What became clear was that calls for help at the time of the violence went unheeded by elected officials.

And decades later, when survivors approached the Legislature about compensation, some lawmakers balked, alleging that paying any claims would set off an expensive precedent.

The $2.1 million finally appropriated by lawmakers was divided among many, including up to $150,000 for each survivor, as well as $500,000 set aside for a scholarship program. Joining Bush on stage was one of the scholarship recipients, Edrica Hawkins. The pre-law student from Florida A&M University wanted to say thank you.

“If there is one thing I could say to the victims, it would be that they did not die in vain,” Hawkins said. “They will live on in the hearts and minds of students like myself.”

The words on the marker were written by Lizzie Jenkins of Archer, whose aunt was a school teacher who escaped from Rosewood, and by Professor Maxine Jones of FSU who helped author the report sent to the Legislature. Jenkins said her motivation for working year after year on issues related to Rosewood is multifaceted,including honoring those who, like her aunt, were scarred forever by Rosewood “and spent a lifetime adjusting to a history they did not create.”

The marker is on the south side of State Road 24 in front of what is now a privately owned home that was the only building spared in the 1923 violence.

Karen Voyles can be reached at (352) 486-5058 or
voylesk@gvillesun.com.

By KARL HYPPOLITE

Special to The Sun

Lizzie Jenkins says she has always had a passion for history. It’s something that she’s always been drawn to - a love imparted to her by her mother. After several years of studying African-American history in Gainesville, Jenkins decided to take it one step further.

Jenkins, an Archer native, recently published “Alachua County Florida,” a collection of photographs that tell the personal stories of African Americans in Alachua County. The book is part of the Black America Series from Arcadia Publishing, which publishes books on local and regional U.S. history.

The compilation of photos with accompanying captions focuses primarily on family, education and civil rights.

Putting the book together was not easy, even for someone who had knowledge of Alachua County, said Jenkins. She began by asking relatives to donate photos and soon after began to broaden her search. She drove to Windsor, Hawthrone, Waldo and several other locations and her collection of photos continued to grow.

“I became the historian in my family,” Jenkins said. “Everywhere I went people were willing to help.

“People would send me to another town and another town (for photos). The elderly were extremely helpful and full of thoughtfullness. It makes me want to go back and re-do what I’ve done.”

Though her search was made easier by the contributions of several helpful Alachua County natives, choosing the photos that would be published in the book was not an easy task. Jenkins said she was very particular about the type of photos she wanted

“I was looking for black and white photos that tell a story,” she said. “If they gave me a photo of a large family, they had to have a story they could tell me about the pictures.”

The book provides readers with an entry point into the culture of African-American life in the county.

“I think it has interesting aspects about the lives of African Americans in Alachua County,” said Vivian Filer, who chairs the board of directors for The Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center. Filer, who is working to preserve the historic building on SE 7th Avenue, says she has given the book an initial read.

“I think it’s really a testimony to the fact that we have a lot of black history to learn and write about,” she said.

The history of African Americans in the United States is the prevailing theme of Jenkins’ book. The first chapter is titled “Pioneers: Movers and Shakers” and features photos of successful individuals in Alachua County.

“Each photo shows where we came from,” Jenkins said. “How we got from point A to point B. And how the elderly got from point A to point B.”

Jenkins’ interest doesn’t lie just in the progression from the past to the present, she said. As a retired teacher of 33 years, she said she’s interested in teaching today’s Alachua County youth about their local history.

Jenkins would like to see the book and other quality books added to the Alachua county school curriculum. “Students appreciate learning real local history that they can relate to. Teachers work hard to keep students interested in Black history during black history month, however, black history is important enough to be taught daily.”

Jenkins said she feels the book will help close the gap if students knew that some of Alachua county’s real history makers are their ancestors.

“History is not something they own, it’s who they are,” Jenkins said. “And unless we appreciate our ancestors and respect their sacrifices, we aren’t worthy of their accomplishments.”

Courtesy of the Gainesville Sun
by Amy Shannon
Special to the Sun

Packed in like patriotic sardines, several hundred of the county’s most-active Democrats filled the Thelma A. Boltin activity center for the first-ever outstanding luncheon to honor community party leaders.

Sponsored by the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee, the gathering’s large crowd on Saturday wasn’t too much of a surprise, said Chairman Chuck Floyd, as he squeezed through seas of supporters, both young and old.

“It’s an election year,” Floyd said. “People are very energized.”

Floyd described the gathering as a great opportunity for local Democrats to rally together and get excited about casting their votes in the March 9 primary election.

And with the big day fast approaching, conversation often drifted to who’s going to come out on top.

“I would be very surprised if John Kerry didn’t win,” said Pat Bern, luncheon chairwoman. “And as far as the mayoral election, I think we’re blessed with a lot of good candidates.”

The list of candidates for the mayor’s race include Michael Belle, 23, a full-time volunteer for Dennis Kucinich’s presidential campaign; C.B. Daniel, 64, chairman of the southern division of CNB National Bank; Pegeen Hanrahan, 37, an engineer and hazardous materials manager, and current Mayor Tom Bussing, 56.

Ryan Koslosky, a first-year University of Florida law student and member of the Law School Democrats, said if Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, continues to do as well as he has in the national polls, “it might not be much of a contest.”

“Especially, if people keep dropping out,” Koslosky added.

Koslosky, who is on an exclusive committee that will ultimately write the Democratic platform for the national party, said because of Florida’s large number of voters, the state plays a very important role during elections.

“However, a lot of southern states have moved their date forward and we haven’t,” Koslosky said. “Our choice might be more limited than Iowa’s and Wisconsin’s.”

And because Florida voters won’t be heading to the ballot booths until after Super Tuesday, the first Tuesday of March when some primaries are often decided, some are speculating a candidate will already be selected.

“It might just be decided by then,” Bern said.

FYI: Award winners

Courtesy of the Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist, who wants tax credits to lure film production to Florida, hung out with movies stars on a Jacksonville film set Wednesday before addressing a film advisory council at the Capitol.

Crist wants $75 million a year in tax credits over the next three years for filmmakers who produce movies, television shows and music videos in Florida - a proposal he highlighted during his State of the State speech earlier this month.

Crist flew to Jacksonville to visit the “Rocket” film set and met stars Sharon Stone, Jimmy Fallon and Tom Arnold during a day largely spent promoting the Florida film industry.

“It was way cool. Really, it was neat,” Crist had said about the set tour. “This is an industry that can do so much for our state, frankly. It really can. The actors couldn’t have been nicer and more receptive. They enjoy filming in Florida. Jimmy Fallon couldn’t have been funnier.”

When he arrived back at the Capitol, he told the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council that he is committed to attracting more film production to the state.

“It’s a clean industry, it produces high paying jobs and it promotes a state that I love,” Crist said. “It’s very important and Louisiana and some other states have been extremely aggressive, as you know, about this industry and I think Florida needs to lead the way.”

He also scheduled a governor’s mansion reception for the council, lawmakers and members of the industry.

Bills (SB 96 and HB 1325) are moving through the House and Senate that would provide film industry tax credits. The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, calls for $75 million in credits for each of the next three years.

The House version, sponsored by Rep. Don Davis, R-Jacksonville, calls for a total of $75 million in credits over three years.

The tax credits would replace an $20 million incentive program that provides reimbursements to film producers, but which was approved for one year only. Saunders said guaranteeing three years of incentives and increasing the amount will go a long way toward expanding filming in Florida.

“I don’t believe that there’s any doubt at all this industry will continue to grow and flourish in this state if we continue to provide the incentives,” Saunders said.

by AIDA MALLARD
Special to the Guardian

Poetry and history, singing and dancing, and local history makers were the main attraction at a celebration of Black History Month held Tuesday at Prairie View Academy.

School principal Dr. Barbara Henry offered the welcoming remarks and recited the words to ”Lift Ever’y Voice,” the Negro National Anthem.

“We are here to celebrate our rich heritage and history and to encourage the children,” said Henry. ”These children are bright stars who will become successful and outstanding citizens.”

The school’s safety patrol students led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Frances Leslie sang a stirring rendition of “America the Beautiful” that brought the house to its feet.

“We are here exposing children to living history,” said Cynthia Mingo, the event’s organizer and a retired teacher at the school. ”We are happy and proud today.”

The children in the Head Start program performed like seasoned veterans for an appreciative audience as they recited, “A Beautiful World” and “My People,” poems by Langston Hughes.

The fifth-graders had everyone’s feet a-tapping with a lively dance to the song, “Shake Yourself Loose.”

Although a large group of the students consisted of little ones in Head Start and kindergarten, they behaved like their older peers and listened intently.

The theme, “History Living Among Us,” was well covered with local history makers giving brief presentations.

Charles Chestnut III, a local civil rights activist and former elected official, shared a powerful poem with the children. He told the children, “You are the future of our world. Become stepping stones and do not become stumbling blocks.”

Kali Blount, an advocate for black history to be taught in schools, said, “Remember black history every day of the year, and not just in Black History Month.”

Lizzie Jenkins, president of the Real Rosewood Foundation Inc. and the author of ”Rosewood,” said she was just 5 years old when she heard what happened at Rosewood and knew even then that she would write the story someday. “This is my story and I am sticking to it,” she said.

Historian Vivian Filer talked about the Cotton Club and the plans for the building to become a museum and cultural center.

Margaret Rosenberger, who was the school’s second principal when it was Prairie View Elementary and also an author, spoke about the early days, and she gave Henry a copy of her book, “A Lifetime of Humor,” for the school library.

Dr. Lougene Hill, who served as school principal from 1980-1998, joked, saying, “There were some good times, some not so good. No, I don’t miss it and I don’t want to go back.”

Then in a more serious mode, he said, “Too often, we become complacent and want to maintain the status quo. Take the good and the bad and roll with the punches. These boys and girls are our future.”

The Rev. Gladys Days, pastor of Abundant Life Outreach Ministries, sang “If I Can Help Somebody.”

In closing remarks, Mingo asked the audience for feedback and received a resounding “Excellent!” But for kindergarten student Carmen Pierce, the program was fun, and the “dancing was great,” she said.

Courtesy of the Gainesville Sun

The small town of Rosewood was forever changed one night in 1923.

My ancestry goes a long way back in both Levy County and Alachua County. For the past 15 years I have worked unceasingly to document and present our shared history of Rosewood.

“You must keep the ‘leg’ in our legacy,” instructed my once enslaved great grandmother, Lizzie Polly, the family’s matriarch and “once upon a time” storyteller who migrated to Archer in 1839 from Jackson, Mississippi, at age 13.

Born into a family of transgenerational historians and storytellers, it was my destiny to become a fifth generation storyteller and historian. My mother named me Lizzie Polly (Robinson) after my great grandmother. I am a direct descendant of Rosewood, the predominantly black Levy County township that was destroyed in a week-long rampage of racial violence in 1923. I was first initiated into the story of Rosewood in 1943, at age 5. As a youngster, I took Rosewood memories to bed with me each night and to school with me each day. I would carry them with me to work, college and church. I was groomed to keep our history accurate and relevant.

My parents, Ura and Theresa Robinson, taught their children that “knowledge is power” and that education is essential. My mother, keeper of our oral history, told me that an aspect of my life’s mission was to research and share the true history of the Rosewood massacre; to be a voice for justice for the survivors and descendants, both black and white. I was to serve as a bridge for healing racial wounds in our culture.

She told me: “When you tell Rosewood’s story, remain open-minded and don’t allow your personal feelings to take control over truth, making certain Mahulda (her sister) has her place in Rosewood’s history.” She perceived that I would meet and embrace white Rosewood descendants as well, taking history to the next level.

On New Years Day, 1923, Rosewood would be forever changed by racism. My aunt, the Rosewood school teacher, and other survivors say a white woman living in nearby Sumner falsely accused my uncle, a Rosewood resident, of attacking her. A mob came to the small town, burning homes, looting property, and killing five black members of the community. However, had it not been for the white unsung heroes (who will be honored at our upcoming awards dinner on Saturday), the Rosewood citizens would not have survived.

Many miles I have traveled in search of the truth, facing bigotry and intimidation tactics intended to thwart the accurate investigation and documentation of this thread in our national heritage.

I received the NAACP Pioneer Award in honor of my ancestors. I worked for the erection of a state historic marker in Rosewood, which was begun by Gov. Lawton Chiles and completed by Gov. Jeb Bush.

“This marker will ensure that Rosewood is remembered and that when the voice of the last survivor is stilled, we will all bear witness to what happened here and learn the lessons of its legacy,” said Gov. Bush.

In 2005 we held the first annual Rosewood Awards Dinner in memory of all Rosewood survivors and descendants. The Second Annual Rosewood Awards Dinner will be held on March 11 at the Paramount Plaza Hotels and Suites, 2900 SW 13th St., in Gainesville. For information about the event, e-mail me at lizzieprj@aol.com. or call (352) 495-2197.

Ronald Blocker, superintendent of the Orange County School System and a Rosewood descendant, will be our keynote speaker. Dr. James M. Davidson and doctoral student Edward Tennant, of the University of Florida Department of Anthropology, are assisting in the process of remembering Rosewood through archival research and a potential archaeological investigation of the former town site.

At the March 11 dinner they will make a presentation of their findings. At the request of my 91-year-old uncle, my next goal is to build a Brown Connection Center on a stunning 29-acre Archer property that we own jointly - the homestead of the Rosewood schoolteacher. The center will honor the memory of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died in the Rosewood massacre.

During Black History Month this year, I escorted students from Jordan Glen School, Job Corp, SIATech, and Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church to Rosewood. I shared the Rosewood story with students at the PACE school for girls, Oak Hall High School and Santa Fe Community College.

Students from Job Corp were so intrigued with the all-white Shiloh Cemetery in Sumner, where Rosewood Store Merchant John Wright is buried, they volunteered to adopt his gravesite and put a state-of-the-art headstone in place.

My parents, especially my mother, strongly influenced me never to vent anger when telling the Rosewood story. For unless we remember, our children will not understand. When we preserve Rosewood’s history, we preserve America’s history.

Lizzie R. Jenkins is President of The Real Rosewood Foundation, Inc., in Archer. She can be contacted at lizzieprj@aol.com. or at 352-495-2197.

Courtesy of Palm Beach Post
by Kara Kam

TALLAHASSEE — When Gov. Charlie Crist met with Florida National Guard troops in his office Tuesday, he discovered he and an Air Force communications specialist in the group had a common interest.

As a state senator, Crist chaired a subcommittee charged with approving $2 million to pay the descendents of the nine survivors of the 1923 racial massacre in Rosewood that resulted in the destruction of the North Florida black community and the deaths of at least eight of its residen

David Johnson, one of the guardsmen who met with Crist and Florida National Guard Adjutant Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, is the grandson of one of the Rosewood survivors.

The office meeting preceded a tour that Burnett gave Crist of National Guard equipment parked in the Capitol courtyard for National Guard Day. During the tour, Crist told the guardsmen he was seeking federal money to improve the Florida Guard’s equipment as he had promised in an earlier meeting.

Before the tour, Crist learned that Johnson’s grandmother was 3 years old when Rosewood was burned to the ground by a white mob after a white woman reported she was raped by a black man.

After more than seven decades, the families of the survivors received compensation that Crist said, borrowing a term used by civil rights leaders, was “justice delayed.”

The conversation prompted Crist to suggest to Johnson that they call his grandmother, launching a campaign-like scene in which the Air Force reservist, clad in camouflage fatigues, and Crist, wearing khaki trousers and a light blue button-down shirt, huddled over a telephone dialing Johnson’s grandmother, Daisy.

Despite three attempts, the 80-year-old Leesburg woman’s phone rang busy.

Crist then called Johnson’s father, only to get Larkin Johnson’s voice mail. Crist left a message for the landscaper.

“Hey Larkin, this is Charlie Crist talking,” Crist said on speaker phone. “It’s about 12:30 on Tuesday. I’m here with your son, David, and we just wanted to talk to you about the Rosewood case. He was telling me that you shared the fact with him that it included your family and we just had a nice conversation about justice. If you get a chance, I’d love to visit with you,” Crist said before providing his personal cellphone number. “Thank you, sir. You have a great son.”

Courtesy of the Gainesville Sun
by Cleveland Tinker
Special to the Guardian

As alumni of Gainesville’s Lincoln High School talk about their school days, one word comes up over and over — family.

This weekend alumni will gather for the 7th Biennial Grand Reunion that draws members from many classes. The big event of the weekend is Saturday’s Hall of Fame Banquet where four new members will be inducted.

Reunion chairman Albert White, a member of the Class of 1963 and a hall of fame member, says the individual classes still hold their own reunions, but the idea for the Grand Reunion grew out of an effort to honor Jesse Heard, Lincoln’s legendary football coach whose career touched many different classes over the years.

Lincoln was Gainesville’s all-black high school that operated from 1923 to 1970, when the integration of public schools closed its doors in mid-year. It started in the brick building now known as the A. Quinn Jones Center at 1108 NW 7th Ave., serving first through 12th grades. In 1956 a new state-of-the-art building became the home of the Big Red Fighting Terriers. Today’s it’s Lincoln Middle School. Lincoln was, and continues to be, a source of community pride. And while the school didn’t graduate a class with more than 100 students until its final decade, White says the Grand Reunion should draw 500 to 600 people this weekend.

“The nostalgia, the reliving of the good times at Lincoln, seeing faces I haven’t seen in years,” is what White says is a big part of the attraction for him.

Lizzie R. Jenkins, a 1957 Lincoln grad, will be one of the four people inducted into the hall of fame Saturday. She went on to a 33-year career in teaching and has written books about Rosewood, the black history of the town of Archer and is wrapping up a book on the black history of Alachua County.

Jenkins says what she remembers most is the family atmosphere nurtured by the faculty and staff. She says long before there was ever a government free-lunch program, “those lunchroom workers and the principal made sure every child ate.”

Inductee Doris Edwards was a member of the class of 1965. She’s now retired from 37 years at the University of Florida where she was a program assistant in the Office of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Today she’s busy in a variety of community projects and heads up the Lincoln Estates Neighborhood Association. She calls her years at Lincoln a rewarding, character-building experience.

“The family atmosphere, how the teachers touched the lives of the children in a way that has carried over from the past and into the present,” is what Edwards recalls. “They were like parents to us. There was personal nurturing from the teachers at that time.”

Alphonso Johnson was one of those teachers, and he’ll be entering the hall of fame Saturday. Johnson, who lives in Williston, taught science for 10 years at Lincoln and later served as an assistant principal at Sidney Lanier School and Hawthorne and Newberry high schools. He’s now retired and active in AARP and with the Jerusalem Baptist Association.

“I loved that school, it was like a big family,” Johnson says. “It permeated out into the community with the cooperation you got from parents.”

The fourth inductee is neither a Lincoln grad nor a former teacher, but White says with Rosa. B. Williams’ long service to the community, she just had to be included. Williams says she is honored and remembers the impact the school made.

“It was just like a whole family to everybody, we had the football team, we had the band,” Williams says. “They were proud of that school.”

Former Lincoln Principal John Dukes Jr., who died in March, will also be honored with a lifetime achievement award. Dukes, who entered the school’s hall of fame in 2001, also served as principal at Eastside High School and as an assistant superintendent for student services for Alachua County. His widow, Bernice Dukes, says he would be touched by the honor.

“He was very devoted to Lincoln. That’s where he attended, that’s where he graduated and that’s where he got his first job,” Bernice Dukes says. “I’m sure he’d feel good accepting an award from the students he taught and was principal, also, to many of them.”

Gary Kirkland can be reached at 338-3104 or kirklag@gvillesun.com.

Courtesy of the Gainesville Sun
by Cleveland Tinker
Special to THE GUARDIAN

It was an evening with Rosewood families and friends and recognition of unsung heroes at the Real Rosewood Foundation Inc.’s second annual awards dinner held Saturday in Gainesville.

The theme was remembering the legacy of Rosewood, and organizers said that preserving Rosewood’s history was akin to preserving America’s history.

“It is very important to get the truth out about the Rosewood incident because I want people to know the truth,” said Lizzie R. Jenkins, executive director of the Real Rosewood Foundation Inc., which is based in Archer.

Jenkins said it is important to recognize the unsung heroes of Rosewood that helped many black residents escape from the small Levy County town in 1923, when a white woman falsely accused a black man of raping her. As a result of the accusation, James Taylor, the husband of the alleged victim, formed a mob that terrorized the black community, killing five blacks.

“Had it not been for the unsung heroes of Rosewood in 1923, my family members and other Rosewood citizens would have perished or died,” said Jenkins. “It is one way in and one way out of Rosewood. Sheriff (Robert) Walker worked 96 hours straight without sleep, begging people to help him get black people out of Rosewood safely.”

Phoebe Walker Hughes is the niece of the late Levy County sheriff, and she was presented with an Unsung Heroes Award in her uncle’s honor.

Hughes said she found out about Jenkins’ foundation from her daughter, who had seen a movie about Rosewood. They knew their uncle had been a sheriff in the town, and searched the Internet to find out about the movie. Their search led them to Jenkins.

Jenkins said Hughes’ daughter, Lee Yarborough, wrote her and apologized if her family had harmed anybody during the riot.

“I wrote her back and told her that her uncle saved a lot of lives,” said Jenkins, who would eventually begin corresponding with Hughes. “My reason for embracing the white Rosewood descendants is because my foundation is inclusive.”

Other awards given out was the William C. Bryce Unsung Heroes Award presented to his great-granddaughter, Margaret Kruse. The John Bryce Unsung Heroes Award was presented to his great-great-grandniece, Allison Piliod. The Bryces helped Walker protect blacks, according to Jenkins.

The Sarah Carrier Humanitarian Award was presented to Alachua Vice-Mayor Bonnie Burgess “for her tireless work in support and belief in her hometown of Alachua, the same as Sarah Carrier supported and believed in her hometown of Rosewood…”

“It is awesome. I am truly honored to have been chosen for this award,” said Burgess, a candidate for the state House of Representatives seat being vacated by Ed Jennings Jr. “When Liz called me and told me the board had chosen me, I thought it was a prank call.”

The Aaron Carrier Humanitarian Award was presented to John M. Jenkins, Liz Jenkins’ husband, “for supporting her tireless efforts to tell the Rosewood story…”

The Sylvester Carrier Humanitarian Award was presented to Charles Goston “for embracing and respecting the image of his community…”

The Ola Mae Hines Humanitarian Award went to Andrew Hines, “corresponding to his mother’s patience, guidance and strength to survive…”

The Ernest M. Blocker Pioneer Award was presented to his son Ronald Blocker, the event’s guest speaker. Blocker, a Rosewood descendant, is superintendent of the Orange County Public Schools.

Proceeds from the banquet will help fund the creation of the Rosewood Museum, which will be located in Archer.

81 years later, Rosewood memorialized

BY KAREN VOYLES

SUN STAFF WRITER

KAREN VOYLES/The Gainesville Sun

Robie Mortin, right, was 8 years old when her family fled from Rosewood in 1923, a day before the predominantly black town was demolished by an angry white mob. Martin and Rosewood descendant Janie Black, left, were among those honored Thursday during a ceremony near the site where the town stood.

OSEWOOD - The first memorial service was held Thursday for those who died or had their lives irretrievably altered by the horrific racial incident that began on Jan. 1, 1923.

This week’s peace and healing ceremony was planned by descendants of black families who lived in Rosewood before the town was decimated by an angry white mob.

“This is the dawn of a new day for Rosewood,” the Rev. Avon Witherspoon said in her invocation.

She reminded the crowd of more than 100 that gathered at the community ballpark south of the original town site that the purpose of the ceremony was to “bring peace, healing and restoration.”

The ceremony was described by organizer Lizzie Jenkins of Archer as a tribute to the ancestors who once lived in the town and worked at the nearby turpentine mill or for white families who lived in the area. She told the crowd that the ceremony was important because “preserving Rosewood’s history is preserving America’s history.”

The history of the atrocities at Rosewood was documented by the 1994 Florida Legislature, which paid out $2 million in compensation to survivors and the descendants.

The violence began after a white woman accused a black man of raping her. The accusation - which was never proven - set off the violence that did not end until several black residents had been murdered and the nearly 50-year-old town was burned to the ground, with the exception of one home that remains standing today.

Within hours of the woman’s accusation and the onset of the violence, surviving residents fled into the surrounding woods, taking nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Efforts to get the governor or president involved in calming the situation were ignored and it was left up to the Levy County sheriff and a handful of other local white men to help arrange to get the black residents out of the area. Many were picked up by a train and taken to other family members in other parts of the state.

Robie Mortin, now 89 years old, was just 8 when her father whisked her and an older sister out of town at the first indication of trouble.

“I never did think I would live to see a day like this,” Mortin said Thursday as she participated in the service. “My dad got us out on a train the day before most of the others got out and we were all the way to Chiefland before we heard about the hanging.”

White men, convinced that Rosewood blacksmith Sam Carter had helped a rapist escape, tortured Carter, then shot him, hanged him and butchered his remains, according to the history documented by the Legislature.

Those who could escape into the surrounding swamps did so, some waiting in freezing water until they could be summoned to a train that hauled them to safety. The torching of the homes left only one standing, which can be seen today alongside State Road 24.

For decades, Rosewood atrocities were only whispered about. Much of what had happened there was documented by oral family histories that began being publicized in the early 1980s.

Robert Thompson, a 72-year-old black man and lifelong residents of nearby Chiefland, said he had heard the stories all his life, and was at the ceremony Thursday to listen to others.

“We are here to respect the ones that died and all of them that lived through it,” Thompson said.

Jenkins said her goal is to one day have a monument erected in the Rosewood area so that no one ever forgets what happened there.

Karen Voyles can be reached at (352) 486-5058 or voylesk@ gvillesun.com.