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'This many Black folks have not been in Rosewood since the massacre': Rosewood centennial events begin

WUFT | By Katie Hyson
Published January 9, 2023 at 10:17 AM EST
Dr. Kenneth Nunn (left) and Benjamin L. Crump (right) mourn for the victims of the Rosewood massacre that occurred a hundred years ago during a wreath-laying ceremony, at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)
Dr. Kenneth Nunn (left) and Benjamin L. Crump (right) mourn for the victims of the Rosewood massacre that occurred a hundred years ago during a wreath-laying ceremony, at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the destruction of Rosewood. Rosewood was a majority Black community in Levy County. In January of 1923, a white vigilante mob murdered Black residents and set fire to the town.

Listen above to a report from the Sunday wreath laying ceremony in Rosewood and scroll through photos below. Click here for a full calendar of this week's centennial events.

Members of the Jerusalem Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star stand along the railway during the wreath-laying ceremony at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan.8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)
Mary Reynolds, the wife of the first Black family to move back to Rosewood in 1977, participates in the wreath-laying ceremony of the 100th anniversary of Rosewood massacre, at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)
Rabbi Robyn Fisher, the spiritual leader of Beth Or in South Miami, presents at the wreath-laying ceremony of the 100th anniversary of Rosewood massacre, at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)
Dr. Cynthia Moore Chestnut, city commissioner of Gainesville, Florida, gives the keynote speech at the wreath-laying ceremony of the 100th anniversary of Rosewood massacre, at Rosewood, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)
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Racial equity Levy CountyGainesvilleFloridaJerusalemwuft newscommunityWUFT
Katie Hyson
Katie Hyson was a Report for America Corps Member at WUFT News from 2021 to 2023. She now works for KPBS in San Diego.
See stories by Katie Hyson