Family descendants of Ocoee Massacre victims honored by community leaders

OCOEE, Fla. — The Mayor of Ocoee apologized Sunday to the descendants of the Election Day massacre there 100 years ago.

A Black businessman was lynched, many others killed and the Black community burned on that day.

For the families, it was a gesture long overdue.

Watch: Renewed push for reparations 100 years after the Ocoee Massacre

A hush fell over the crowd as the descendants laid eyes for the first time on this plaque, showing the violence that happened throughout Orange County 100 years ago.

But what was even more powerful was seeing the descendants' response to the other side, which details what happened to their families in Ocoee.

It was a look at the loss of the past to chart a path toward the future.

Watch: Ocoee city leadership sign formal apology for Ocoee Massacre

“Words can’t express what’s in the heart,” said Carmichael-Brown family descendant Kenneth Thompson. “Only our action can do it better.”

Thompson said the act of laying hands on the plaque gives him a connection to the struggles of his ancestors.

The Carmichael-Brown family was run out of Ocoee during and after the Election Day massacre that ended in July Perry lynched and many others killed.

Watch: Ocoee Massacre: Who was Julius ‘July’ Perry?

“Being a resident of Ocoee now, our action, to be proactive in this community, we felt the reconciliation,” Thompson said.

While many other descendants traveled to be at the event on Sunday, Thompson’s decision to move to Ocoee, where his family lost their land, means he will see firsthand the true legacy of this week’s actions.

See the full report in the video above.

Cox Media Group