Rosewood

Rosewood, by John Singleton is an African American film based on segregation in South of Florida in the early 1920’s, between two towns Rosewood and Sumner’s. After watching the film I was able to understand segregation, the conflict people had in the early 1920’s, and the heroic people that stood up for what is right.

Segregation is the enforced of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment. It started after the Civil War ended, the northern states attempted to influence equality among the races throughout the South. In the movie Rosewood, Rosewood was the town of African Americans and Sumner’s was the town of white people. Both blacks and whites were allowed to work together, travel together, and even being around each other. They were not allowed to live in the same town, be friends with one another or have relationship with one another. For example, in the film it showed both blacks and whites working together in the lumber area. Also in the film Aunt Sarah, an African American, worked for Ms. Fannie Mae Taylor. Most jobs where in Sumner’s, most people would have to travel to find work or do work. Another insistent of segregation was when Emit was taught by his father to not have emotions towards black people, kill them, and not be friends with them. Emit would still hang around with Arnett, an African American boy, that would cut would at the lumber area. After watching the film I never really paid any attention to segregation or what people had gone through in the past for a better tomorrow. They were separated my color, which means nothing to the world today, but there is segregation in the world by wealth. There is lower class, medial class, and high class. People segregate each other based on wealth to determine how one may be treated, respected, and enforced.

In the film there was more conflict than just segregation, but racism. The people from Sumner’s would blame black people for the rape of Ms. Fannie Mae, knowing that she is an easy going lady with the men. Ms. Fannie Mae cried out rape form a black man, that made all of Sumner’s want to go after all African Americans even though they where suppose to be only after a man. Rosewood was considered wealthier than Sumner’s which caused a lot of conflict between both towns. This made Sumner’s jealous which also caused a lot of racial acts. For example, the white people from Sumner’s were jealous of Sylvester, Aunt Sarah’s son, because he had a piano in his house. Sylvester had a piano because he was educated and was a music teacher. He worked hard to get what he has, yet the people from Sumner’s where jealous because they claimed that they should have nice things in their home because they are white. There was one thing in the film that I never know the term, but know what it was, lynching. Lynching was the hanging of a person by the throat and killing them. It was very graphic in the film, but reality. This is the prevention of a racial act that killed thousands of innocent people. People did not care if you were a man, woman, child or elder but if you were not white you were going to get lynched or shoot at.

There was one person in the film that really caught my attention that was strong, a women and white, Ms. Wright. At first I thought she was just another white lady that was living in Rosewood for the money. Yet people from Rosewood trusted her and Mr. Wright. They were the only family that was fair to both towns. At first looking at Ms. Wright she seemed confused, not fully there, being the step mother of her new children, and weak. But how most people say “be careful with quite ones, they are the ones you need to worry about”. During the attack of Rosewood, Ms. Wright and her husband Mr. Wright were taking in African Americans to her home to protect them. Once the mob wanted to come in and check the house, she stood tall, powerful, and brave to the white men without showing fear. Ms. Wright really under estimated me, being weak at first yet standing up for what is right at the end. I would have never thought that in the early 1920’s there were outstanding people like Mr. and Ms. Wright that helped others in need, especially going through segregation, racism, and war. There really isn’t that many people in the world that would do that, but there is people in the world that have good hearts to fight for what is right.

This film has really opened my eyes to the things that have changed over the last ninety years and the things that have somewhat stayed the same. It showed me the reality of life and how things have a habit of repeating. I am glad to find out information on African American culture because it made me want to discover more about my own culture. I was really glad that I got to find out new information such as lynching, racism, and strong women.