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“Tameka Hobbs brings to light four significant lynchings that are pivotal to understanding the genesis of civil rights in Florida. The firsthand accounts from the victims’ families and community members make this a valuable resource for those interested in African American, Florida, and civil rights history.”–Derrick E. White, author of The Challenge of Blackness.
“This book serves as a striking reminder of Florida’s turbulent and violent racial past. It is a must-read.”–Irvin D.S. Winsboro, editor of Old South, New South, or Down South?
While Florida is often perceived as an atypical southern state, more progressive and culturally diverse, it sadly witnessed more lynchings per capita of African American residents than any other Deep South state during the Jim Crow era.
Tameka Hobbs delves into this grim chapter of the state’s history, focusing on an outbreak of anti-black violence that occurred in the 1940s. She seeks to understand why lynchings persisted in Florida at a time when they were diminishing elsewhere. Hobbs situates these horrific events against the backdrop of World War II, juxtaposing America’s effort to promote its democratic values overseas while failing to ensure legal protection for its African American citizens at home.
As the U.S. became more entrenched in the global war and the rhetoric against Axis powers escalated, national leaders became increasingly conscious of the tarnish left by extrajudicial violence on America’s image. Hobbs convincingly argues that the international repercussions of these four murders, along with other instances of anti-black violence nationwide, exerted pressure not only on Florida’s public officials to safeguard the civil rights of African Americans in the state but also on the federal government to step up its efforts in prosecuting racial violence.
Tameka Bradley Hobbs is an assistant professor of history at Florida Memorial University.