Rosewood Reborn (1923 and after)
The Only Case of Reparations in the United States, for Just One of Our Many Race Riots
An attack on a white woman—allegedly by a black man—led to the destruction of a whole community. Seven decades later, in the only known case of “reparations” by a U.S. government for mass racial violence, Florida compensated survivors of the massacre. James Earl Jones narrates the story of both Rosewood’s destruction and its “rebirth,” told by the actual survivors and participants in their own words and voices.
Rosewood’s story has become part of a national debate. Rosewood Reborn deals with vital current issues of:
- achieving justice in a society beset by racial and sexual tensions;
- racial reconciliation and reparations;
- domestic terrorism;
- media responsibility for covering inflammatory incidents;
- the role of government versus private/corporate responsibility for law, order, and social welfare; and
- conflicts between “multi-culturalism” and “core value” orthodox views of America’s history and values.
What really happened at Rosewood? A mini-essay on the history and its uses.
Rosewood’s history, the 1997 movie, and this documentary: a mini-essay.
SOME ROSEWOOD SURVIVORS
Minnie Lee Langley
(1914–1995)
Margie Hall Johnson
(1909–1998)
Lee Ruth Bradley Davis
(1915–1993)
Arnett Turner Goins
(1915–2002)