OCOEE, Fla. – It’s been more than 100 years since dozens of African Americans were killed by a white mob to keep them from voting on election day in 1920.
The mob surrounded the home of Julius “July” Perry. When Perry shot back to defend himself, the mob called Orlando and Orange County for reinforcements. Some of the African Americans were lynched and their homes burned.
“The state played a role, they deputized the mob at that time and then they didn’t do the proper investigation, so they were complicit in this massacre. I think it’s appropriate that the state play a role in addressing the redress of the descendants,” Sen. Randolph Bracy said.
During the last legislative session, Bracy proposed a bill, SB 678, requiring the Department of Economic Opportunity to prioritize certain applications for the Black Business Loan Program. It also created the Ocoee Scholarship Program for descendants of the massacre and Black students who live in Ocoee. That bill died in the Senate education committee.
Instead, the Ocoee Scholarship Program was approved as part of the state budget by the Florida House and Senate.
A total of $305,000 will be made available yearly for 50 scholarships, which equals $6,100 per student. The money can go toward any post high school education.
The students will have to apply through the Florida Attorney General’s Office. African American students who live in Ocoee are eligible, as are descendants of the victims of the Ocoee Massacre. Descendants of the victims of the massacre do not have to reside in Ocoee to be eligible for the scholarship.