July Perry & the OCOEE MASSACRE

#julyperry #ocoeemassacre #ocoee #ocoeefl #florida #history #blackhistory #blackhistorymonth All music is from Youtube's Creator Studio. In today’s Black History Month video, we visit the grave of July Perry, one of the central figures in the Ocoee Massacre—one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in American history and one of the least taught. Filmed on location in Ocoee, this video documents a quiet but powerful moment of remembrance as we bring flowers to July Perry’s grave and tell the story of what happened on Election Day, November 2, 1920. Perry, a Black landowner and community leader, was targeted after attempting to support Black voter participation. What followed was a coordinated campaign of racial terror that left dozens of Black residents dead, homes and churches burned, and the entire Black population driven out of Ocoee for decades. This video explores: • Who July Perry was and why he was targeted • How voter suppression and white supremacy led directly to violence • The long-term consequences of the Ocoee Massacre on the town and its Black residents • Why remembrance, acknowledgment, and historical truth still matter today For over 60 years after the massacre, Ocoee remained a “sundown town,” with no Black residents living within its borders. The silence surrounding these events is part of the story—and part of why this history must be told, visited, and remembered. This episode is part of our ongoing Black History Month series, where we visit real locations connected to overlooked and uncomfortable chapters of American history. By standing at the grave of July Perry, we honor not just his life, but the lives of those whose stories were intentionally erased. 📍 Filmed on location in Ocoee, Florida 🌺 Memorial visit to July Perry’s grave 📚 Historically grounded storytelling If you believe in learning history where it happened—and confronting the past honestly—please consider liking, subscribing, and sharing this video so these stories continue to be told. ⸻ Suggested SEO Tags / Keywords Ocoee Massacre, July Perry, Black History Month, Ocoee Florida history, racial violence in Florida, 1920 election violence, voter suppression history, Black landowners Florida, sundown towns Florida, African American history, forgotten massacres, civil rights history, historical memorials, gravesite history,