A Christmas Threat to 1920 Black Voters

Because of recent efforts to publicize the Ocoee Massacre. People are somewhat aware of the mass murder and devastation in Ocoee, FL, after two Black men attempted to vote in the 1920 Presidential election. When everything was said and done, two white men were killed at the home of July Perry when a mob tried to drag him out of his home and lynch him. The Perry family stood their ground, but Perry was later taken to an Orlando jail, where he was still dragged out and lynched. The only thing that changed was the location.

What isn’t generally known is that the efforts to suppress the Black vote in Ocoee were part of a statewide effort led by Governor Sidney Catts to suppress the Black vote. Black activists were killed in Manatee, Liberty, and Gadsden counties. This letter was circulated among Black potential voters in Orlando and to a local judge trying to register Black voters.

In Flagler County, about 100 miles from Orlando, another letter was circulated to scare Black voters. 1920 was the first year women had the right to vote in nationwide elections after the passage of the 19th Amendment. It seems that 15th Amendment rights were still in jeopardy.

“The Famous Christmas Letter to Flag;er’s Colored People”

“To the Colored People: If you want to eat another Christmas dinner you had better not go to the polls to vote for County Commissioners on November 2nd. Your boss may be able to protect you while you are voting, but he won’t be with you at night while you are going from one place to another.

We will get you sooner or later if you try to mix in the voting for commissioner. You are just looking for trouble if you mix with this affair, and you will find all the trouble you are looking for.

The white people started the commissioner fight and you had better let them settle it. The Negroes have always gotten along fine in this county and they can continue to do so if they will just look after their own affairs. We will not stand for a bunch of turpentine Negroes to run the affairs of this county. You had better let well enough alone. You will not be allowed to stay in this county if you mess with this thing and you may have to be hauled out.

The only thing you will get out of a vote for commissioner is trouble and a lot of it. We have an organization of 100 white people to stand behind this letter. This is warning enough. We will keep a list of the voters.”

This letter was published in the local paper and had the desired effect of reducing the vote. I live in Palm Coast in Flagler County and can happily report there was no known local effort to reduce Black voting in 2024, though we do have the Ron DeSantis election police. Then again, Palm Coast was originally a planned all-white community, and the number of Black voters isn’t sufficient enough to change locat or even statewide elections.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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