Political Quotes

“I am entering into the second phase of my Special Order. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Rosewood and reflect upon the tragedy that happened in 1923. Rosewood was a small, rural town in my district. It is in northwest central Florida, in between Otter Creek, Chiefland, and Cedar Key. It was built around the pencil mill and turpentine industry. It was a mixed town of Blacks and Whites. In 1915, it had a population of approximately 355 people. The town had started to become segregated. The neighboring town of Sumner was developed at the time and was primarily White. In January of 1923, a young White woman claimed that a Black man had assaulted her. The accusation started a riot, ultimately resulting in the burning of the entire town and the death of countless members of the Rosewood community. Within hours of the violence starting, many survivors fled to the surrounding woods, where they hid and waited for a rescue train that was sent there to take people out of the area of violence. At the end of the week, only one building remained standing, and to this day, the death toll is still unknown, and no buildings remain. The story by the young White woman was found to be a lie. She was the Black man's lover. Her significant other beat her, and she lied and blamed the young Black man to save face.…”