In the late 1800s Blacks migrated to Florida from other southern states. They were looking for better opportunities. By 1920, Ocoee, Florida was home to hundreds of Blacks. Some had bought their own land with the money they earned through Florida’s booming agricultural business.

That year something else happened in Ocoee. Blacks went to the polls and tried to vote in a Presidential election. Republican Sen. Warren G. Harding was up against Democratic Gov. James M. Cox. Women and Blacks were legally allowed to cast a ballot. Their votes could shape the outcome of the election. In Ocoee, their neighbors turned on them.

There was a massacre: killings, bloodshed and a public lynching. This made November 2, 1920, the single bloodiest day in modern American political history.

Our team interviewed more than two dozen people for a one-hour documentary, a first of its kind for any local television station in the market. From descendants of Julius July Perry, who was lynched and the first black family to return to town to politicians, historians, civil rights advocates and Ocoee’s current leadership, we spent hours learning this history from all perspectives. As executive producer and project manager, Daralene led a team of fellow reporters, photographers and editors in putting together the documentary. She also helped lead the effort to develop a complimentary web presence, filled with interactive timelines, key audio from our interviews, podcasts and long-form magazine quality content, delving even deeper into the story.

This show initially aired on Nov. 1, 2020 on the eve of the 100^th anniversary of the Ocoee Massacre. Two days after it aired, the Mayor of Ocoee and commissioners signed a formal letter of apology.

Watch the full documentary and get  more information:  http://www.wftv.com/ocoee