Voting: While Black

This Presidential Election has folks smoking through a whole pack of Kool's! The 2020 election has been filled with all the drama from name calling to talking about peoples kids during professional events! We got folks suing states to hold up votes. We got some of our biggest faces in entertainment, politics , of all time and Lil Pimp (Inner thought: truly ain't no telling how many other public figures and celebrities actually chose the people over they tax breaks). But regardless of how you vote, Dems or Pubs, at least you used your platform. If you didn't vote, and you ARE apart of the culture, I've got a story as to why we SHOULD VOTE.

The Ocoee Massacre of 1920. With over 129 different horror stories, one fact remain constant. On November 2, 1920, "A White mob unleashed the worst Election day violence's in U.S. History in Florida a century ago." Oh and thank you Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post for the fascinating information on this story.

In Ocoee, Florida, Black and White Republicans (see even in history we've had Black Republicans but even then ideals of them then were of modern day Democrats...kinda) held clinics to show black residents how to vote.

A month later the letter above would make its way to White leaders, Attorney W.R. O'Neal and Judge John Cheney. Jus think ,WHITE SUPREMACY was so deeply imbedded in the fabric of the country, the Klan was so bold enough to WRITE A JUDGE a death threat. Large rallies were formed to intimidate blacks from even voting! But even with the threats looming the town, black MEN and WOMEN still casted their votes on Election Day morning. One account says that by the afternoon a Black Labor Broker named Moses Norman attempted to vote but was rejected. He would report to the White Judge, John Cheney and STILL was denied.

By that evening, the Klan was told a rumor that Norman was hiding out in in the home of a Black landowners by the name of July Perry, who was also known for helping black people register to vote in the town.

The Klan would burn down Perry's and 23 other homes along with the AME Church Perry and Norman attended. Perry would escape the flames with his wife and daughter only to later separate from them as they his wife and daughter were thrown in jail in Tampa and he was jailed in Orlando. Within an hour the lynch mob was picking up Perry, brutalized, killed and hung him outside Judge Cheney's home.

Wonder what ever happened to Moses?

We vote for people like July Perry.

#vote #election