{"id":2467,"date":"2022-01-24T18:31:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T18:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bendingtowardjustice.cah.ucf.edu\/?page_id=2467"},"modified":"2022-07-12T17:01:35","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T17:01:35","slug":"chapter-13-ocoee-in-national-context","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bendingtowardjustice.cah.ucf.edu\/index.php\/chapter-13-ocoee-in-national-context\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 13: Ocoee in National Context"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As was the case for Ocoee in 1920, the commemorative events of 2020 unfolded within the context of a nation embroiled in controversy. A contentious presidential election in which the Black vote was considered essential, a summer of police violence, confrontations with the past, protests that spilled into the streets, and a global pandemic that upended social and economic certitudes mirrored the disparities and uncertainties of 1920. In 2018 and 2019, when Central Florida social activists, historical institutions, and community leaders planned the commemorative events to mark the Ocoee Massacre, no one anticipated the local, national, and international disruptions that would force a redesign of those plans to accommodate the reality of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Election  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In the age of social media and deep political divisions, the political campaigns found no common understanding of American issues or even agreement on what could be viewed as \u201ctrue.\u201d In addition to the \u201cno holds barred\u201d campaigning between the candidates, social media influencers spread disinformation to energize and\/or confuse potential voters.  Meanwhile, election officials struggled with the reality of a global pandemic that posed questions of how and where voters would cast their ballots.  In the end voters had a variety of choices in addition to traditional in-person voting: early voting, drop-off ballots, and mail-in ballots. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unlike recent presidential elections, the winner was not declared until the Saturday following the balloting. Although election officials declared the balloting to have been fair and free of fraud, supporters of President Donald J. Trump demanded multiple recounts in targeted states he expected to win. The recounts produced no change in the outcome of the election. In an echo of the 1920 presidential election, voter eligibility combined with how voters cast their ballots became important points of dispute. In subsequent state actions, restrictive voting laws emerged, which many viewed as a second Jim Crow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


NBA Get Out the Vote Campaign<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Orlando Magic joined with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a campaign to get out the vote. In the videos below representatives of the Orlando Magic talk about their local campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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