Holland & Knight, in partnership with the University of Florida and the Southern Poverty Law Center, will sponsor the centennial commemoration of the historic Rosewood Massacre of 1923 by honoring the victims, descendants and families with multiple events at the University of Florida the week of January 8-14.

A century ago in Levy County, Florida, the town of Rosewood experienced one of the most horrific events in American history when a racially motivated attack decimated the predominantly African American town and devastated its residents. Despite being terrorized by those events, survivors and descendants of Rosewood got justice, becoming the first African Americans to receive compensation from a legislative body in America.

Former Holland & Knight Partners Steve Hanlon and Martha Barnett and current Partner Miguel De Grandy each had key roles in creating the $2.1 million Rosewood Claims bill and getting the Florida legislature to pass it in 1994. The bill essentially acknowledged the state’s failure to protect the Rosewood community and compensated both survivors and their descendants.

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