Racial riots and violence were prevalent throughout the United States in the early 1900s. It was difficult to go any length of time without hearing about a citizen's lynching black, of a violent mob against blacks or of large riots killing blacks. In Rosewood, Florida, an incident of great caliber and commotion occurred during these moments of extreme racial segregation. These incidents in Rosewood became public knowledge as the entire black population chose to move out of the small town. These black citizens feared for their lives as many heinous and violent racist crimes were occurring against people of their own race. Lynching had become so common that many blacks feared that if they didn't do it, they would die. In Rosewood, the actual account of what happened was different from the story told to audiences through this film. A white woman named Fannie Taylor was married to a white man named James Taylor and together they lived just outside of Rosewood, Florida. Her husband, James, had gone to work that day and Fannie was home alone. She chose to cheat on her husband with a white man who some believed worked for the Sea Board Airline Railroad; the same man who physically beat her as they finished having sexual intercourse that day. Her story to the courts and to people outside was that a black man had come and "assaulted" her, both sexually and physically. Since no one ever disputed the fact that this assault was carried out by a black man, the unanimity of the white community that this assault was in fact a racial assault against her: her story was never questioned . Although some blacks in the community knew because they were eyewitnesses to the man leaving the house, no one ever fought Fannie... mid-paper... they deserved something positive in return. These people in Rosewood suffered because of the color of their skin and nothing else. I realized that I am lucky to have the choices that I have in my education and athletics, and I am grateful that I get to play basketball for my school, as back in the day they lived, they were just lucky to be alive and it didn't have no choice in terms of sports to play or entertainment. They simply worked for the whites and tried to stay away from death. They were not given the opportunities that I have today. This film gave me a new, appreciative and grateful vision of the society I live in today. Works Cited Jones, M., Rivers, L., Colburn D., Dye, T., & Rogers, W. (1993, 12 22) . Documented story of the incident in Rosewood, Florida, January 1923. Retrieved from http://www.displaysforschools.com/rosewoodrp.html.