Summary: Click and Listen to the Gist of The history of: July Perry, Voting Rights Activist~ In 1920, he and another African-American, Mose Norman tried to vote in the November 4th elections. They were denied this right and within a few hours a white on black riot ensued. By the next morning, two white men and several African-Americans were dead (how many is disputed, but reports range from as little as 4 to a high of 60). Many black homes and businesses and one church, one school and a lodge hall were burned to the ground. On top of that, the rest of the African-American residents of Ocoee were that no longer. Ocoee became a white-only town and stayed that way for nearly 60 years. U.S. Census data confirms that no blacks were living in Ocoee until the 1980 Census. Was captured and brought to Orlando by Orange County deputy sheriffs. He was jailed in downtown and later a mob took him out of the jail and hung him. His body was buried in the black section of Greenwood in an unmarked grave. The position of his grave was remembered through the years and in the fall of 2002, a marker was finally placed on his grave site.
