Rosewood

A 1997 film starring Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, and Estelle Rolle and directed by John Singleton. Based on an actual event that occured in the African American community of Rosewood, Florida in 1923. When a white woman falsely claims to have been sexually assaulted by a black man, a racist lynch mob from a less-prosperous nearby town attacks the flourishing black town. A white store owner (Jon Voight) and a black drifter (Ving Rhames) come to the aid of the town, helping surviving residents escape.

According to historical records, eight blacks were killed when the white terroists burned the town to the ground. Survivors and other sources place the death toll between 60 and 150. The initial production began in 1983 when producer Jon Peters saw a report of the massacre on 60 Minutes. In reality, it seems a married white woman was beaten by her lover, but afraid of reprisals by her husband, she blamed the attack on a "big and black" man. It didn't take long for a bunch of riled up racists to go after some KKK style justice. What happens next is a mostly fictionalized account of history, but whatever happened, it hurts.

The musical score is by Oscar winner John Williams and features stirring vocals by gospel legend Shirley Ceasar.

Rose"wood (?), n.

A valuable cabinet wood of a dark red color, streaked and variegated with black, obtained from several tropical leguminous trees of the genera Dalbergia and Machaerium. The finest kind is from Brazil, and is said to be from the Dalbergia nigra.

African rosewood, the wood of the leguminous tree Pterocarpus erinaceus. -- Jamaica rosewood, the wood of two West Indian trees (Amyris balsamifera, and Linocieria ligustrina). -- New South Wales rosewood, the wood of Trichilia glandulosa, a tree related to the margosa.

© Webster 1913.