The Ocoee Massacre

Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the Ocoee Massacre, which is believed to the largest scale voter suppression activity that happened in the US. 

You can read stories about it, like this one

https://theundefeated.com/features/legacy-of-bloody-election-day-lingers-in-ocoee-florida/

Or read a more newsy type report here

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/11/02/ocoee-florida-election-day-massacre/?outputType=amp

Or catch a 45 minute documentary film here:
https://www.wftv.com/news/ocoee-massacre-documentary-film/374fd241-419a-43e7-95ff-4ed007a48d50/

But, the truly remarkable thing is that it did remain essentially unknown, and not talked about, for nearly a century. 

It was not taught in florida schools. I had a vague, very fuzzy, recollection of some mob scene, directed at blacks, somewhere near Orlando. But that's it. 

And in a way, shame on me for not knowing. I lived in another little town very close to Ocoee for a year or so in the early 90s. I went into the rebuilt Ocoee a few times. But didn't know it's history. 

I was aware that in that area, miles from downtown Orlando and the theme parks, racism ran high. There weren't many blacks in the area I was living in, and there weren't many whites in the area around apopka. 

It was strange to me, but I never asked questions. I just went about my business. I guess I assumed that it was somehow a vestige of the old south. 

But now that I'm removed from it for 30 years, and we're at the 100th anniversary of the events, I have to look back on it and shake my head. 

As I said, racism ran high in the area. It bothered me a lot at the time, but I just shook it off. 

Maybe now I'm beginning to understand what it means.

Take a few moments and read about the history and see if you can start to appreciate all that happened there, and what has happened since, and why "Black Lives Matter" is something relevant today.