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Writer's pictureJoe Marzo
Oct 19, 20244 min read

Florida's Hidden Past: The 1920 Ocoee Massacre

By Joe Marzo


The Ocoee Massacre of 1920 is one of Florida's most tragic and, for decades, hidden chapters. It’s a story of a small town caught in the violence of racism, where the simple act of trying to vote led to an eruption of deadly hate. For nearly a century, the events of that day were buried, rarely spoken about, and almost forgotten—but the truth eventually resurfaced, forcing Florida to confront this dark episode in its history.


The Election That Set It Off


The massacre took place on Election Day—November 2, 1920—right when the country was voting for a new president. African Americans in Ocoee, a small town near Orlando, were determined to exercise their right to vote. But the Jim Crow South was a hostile place for Black voters. White supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan were active, and laws like poll taxes and literacy tests were designed to keep Black people away from the polls. Despite these obstacles, two men—Moses Norman and July Perry—decided they weren’t going to be intimidated.


Norman and Perry were community leaders, and they had encouraged other African Americans to vote as well. When Norman showed up at the polls, he was turned away. His attempts to challenge the unfair voter suppression were met with threats of violence. That day, tensions boiled over as white residents, many aligned with the Klan, got wind that Black people in Ocoee were trying to vote. Rumors spread, a mob gathered, and they eventually marched to July Perry’s house, looking to make an example of him.


A Night of Terror


What happened next was horrific. The mob descended on Perry’s home, demanding that he and Norman come out. Shots were fired, and while the details are still murky, it’s clear that the white mob wasn't going to stop until they made their point. They stormed the house, severely beating Perry, dragging him from his home, and eventually lynching him near the Orange County Courthouse. His brutalized body was left hanging as a message to others who might dare to vote.


The violence didn’t end there. The mob went on a rampage through Ocoee, targeting the homes, churches, and businesses of the town's Black residents. They set buildings on fire and shot anyone who resisted. Some African Americans were able to flee into the woods, but many were not so lucky. Entire families were either killed or forced to run for their lives, leaving behind everything they owned. By the time the dust settled, Ocoee’s Black community had been obliterated.


The Cover-Up


What makes the Ocoee Massacre even more disturbing is how it was covered up afterward. For decades, the event was barely mentioned in official histories of the area. No one was held accountable for the violence, and the families of the victims never received justice or reparations. The Black residents who fled were never allowed to return, and their property was often seized by white neighbors or simply absorbed by the town.


Ocoee, in the years following the massacre, became an all-white town. The memory of what happened was deliberately suppressed. There were no memorials, no public acknowledgments—nothing to remind people of the atrocity that took place. Survivors and their descendants were intimidated into silence, fearing that speaking out might provoke more violence.


It wasn’t until many years later that historians, civil rights activists, and descendants of the victims began digging into what had happened in Ocoee. They uncovered a systematic effort to erase the massacre from history. There were even allegations that local officials had destroyed documents and evidence that could have provided a fuller picture of the horrors that took place.


Rediscovery and Justice


The rediscovery of the Ocoee Massacre didn’t really gain traction until the late 20th century. In 1999, nearly 80 years after the event, the Florida state government finally acknowledged the massacre with an official historical marker. This was a first step, but more would come in the years ahead as awareness of the event spread.


In 2020, a full century after the massacre, Ocoee held its first public commemoration of the tragedy, acknowledging the bloodshed and the lives lost. The Florida legislature also took action by passing a law that requires the massacre to be taught in schools, ensuring that future generations won’t grow up unaware of what happened.


While there has been recognition, real justice remains elusive. The Black families who fled Ocoee never got their property back, and no one was ever prosecuted for the killings. Still, the recognition of the event represents progress—a shift from the days when events like this

could be violently suppressed and then forgotten.


A Legacy of Racial Violence


The Ocoee Massacre stands as a stark reminder of the lengths white supremacists went to in order to suppress Black political power in the early 20th century. It was part of a larger pattern of racial violence that took place across the country during that era—what some historians call “racial cleansing,” where Black communities were violently removed or suppressed.


For Florida, it’s a particularly sobering chapter, one that forces a look at the legacy of voter suppression and racial violence that has shaped the state’s history. The massacre also highlights the dangers of historical erasure and the importance of telling the full story, no matter how painful. In many ways, the fight that Moses Norman and July Perry led to cast their votes is still relevant today, as debates about voter suppression continue across the United States.


The massacre might have been covered up for a long time, but it’s clear that this dark piece of history will no longer be forgotten. The story of Ocoee, while tragic, now has a place in the broader narrative of America’s civil rights struggles—a lesson in the dangers of hate and the long shadow that racial violence can cast over a community.


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