Talk:Rosewood massacre/GA1

GA Review

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This article is of course really very good. I actually found myself re-reading some sections for clarity's sake -- and perhaps the whole "I can't believe this actually #^@!& happened!" element was there, as well. Here is how it stands against the criteria:

1. Well-written: For the most part; see issues below.
2. Factually accurate and verifiable: Yes.
3. Broad in its coverage: Yes.
4. Neutral: Yes.
5. Stable: Yes.
6. Illustrated, if possible, by images: Yes.

Comments re

prose

• The population of Rosewood peaked in 1915 at 355 people. Both Sumner and Rosewood were part of a single voting precinct; in 1920, the combined population of both towns was 344 blacks and 294 whites. Is it necessary to mention the shared voting precinct, especially since blacks weren't allowed to vote? It seems a little random to me.
• Communities created their own centers: in 1920, the residents of Rosewood were mostly self-sufficient. They had three churches... What is meant by "centers", exactly? I also think that their self-sufficiency should be better tied to the fact that they had churches, etc., etc. Semi-colon, perhaps?
• Rumors circulated that black soldiers overseas were received warmly by French women. These struck at the heart of Southern fears. "these" is ambiguous here; combine the two, maybe, with "striking at the heart..."?
• Neighbors remember Fannie Taylor as "very peculiar". This is only one of the examples of present tense being used to describe the survivors' words, actions, and such. The last section in the article states that there's only one survivor left, however, so perhaps the uses should be looked at closer.
• The white mob burned the black churches in Rosewood. Philomena Goins' cousin Lee Ruth Davis heard the bells tolling in the church as the men were inside setting it on fire.[14] Even the white church in Rosewood was destroyed. Is it strange to think that this is misleading? If there was only one white church in town, then weren't all the churches in Rosewood (black and white) burned/destroyed?
• was collecting turpentine sap by the side of the road when a car full of whites stopped and asked his name. He gave the name everyone used, "Lord God", and they shot him. "the name everyone used" is confusing, and may need further explanation if it's to be given context -- was this common practice in that area during the time?
• W. H. Pillsbury's wife helped smuggle people out of the area, with secrecy. Slightly awkward: "wife secretly helped smuggle"?
• In 1982, an investigative reporter from the St. Petersburg Times named Gary Moore drove from the Tampa area to Cedar Key looking for a story. slight rewording for easier reading, how about "an investigative reporter named Gary Moore from..."?
• she threatened to disown him, shook him, then slapped him to punctuate her feelings about it. awkward. "enraged, she threatened to disown him..."? Then there won't be a need for the weird "punctuate her feelings about it" thing.
• E. R. Shipp in The New York Times uses Singleton's youth and background from California to explain his willingness to take on the story of Rosewood...: "uses" may not be the most accurate verb. "points to", maybe?
• Reception to the film was mixed. Critics commented on the fictionalization of the story of Rosewood as it "assumes a lot and then makes up a lot more".[61] The film version alluded to many more deaths than even the highest counts by eyewitnesses. I believe it's customary to refer to film/book plots in present tense, right? Also, the use of "as it" is a bit difficult here. "fictionalization of the story, which 'assumes a lot and then...'"?

Refs, links and cats all seem to be in order. Overall, great work! Because the above comments and suggestions are fairly minor in scale, I have no issues with promoting this article to GA-status at this time. Best of luck at FAC, and let me know if you'd like me to take another look. I really enjoyed reading the article in full, although now I'm utterly depressed. Sigh. María (habla conmigo) 16:29, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Indeed. I am employing a very brief window of opportunity that I can work on this article. It is extraordinarily depressing. Thank you for reading and reviewing it, however. I fixed most of what you commented on here. Otherwise, can you clarify:

• Single voting precinct: while you are right, the black residents of Levy County probably did not vote, the 1920 Census is used as an official count of who owned land where in the towns of Sumner and Rosewood. They listed them as a voting precinct, and on paper I'm sure the residents of Rosewood were listed on voter rolls. However, I do not believe Rosewood residents attempted to vote per the disaster in Ocoee. If the way this is worded is terribly confusing, I am happy to try to adjust it, but since the majority of evidence about Rosewood was provided by eyewitnesses, Census information and tax registrations seem to be the most neutral evidence available.

• I wouldn't say it's terribly confusing, but it did give me pause. If you think it's notable enough to mention it, however, I suggest giving a little more context to make it seem less random -- just as you did above. :) María (habla conmigo) 02:27, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

• Mingo Williams has been characterized as less urbane than the residents of Rosewood. Sources indicate that most black residents and some white ones employed nicknames such as "Man", "Aunt Sarah", "Lord God", etc. Do you think this warrants an explanation? The brief verbal exchange was included to illustrate what prompted the carload of men to kill him. Gary Moore speculates maybe the carload of men thought Williams was being disrespectful by telling them his name was Lord God.

• Yes, an explanation would help greatly. I assumed that the whites thought Williams was disrespecting them, but that was just my assumption; the fact that "Lord God" was a nickname of sorts needs to be made clearer, or else it does sound like Williams was being facetious. Again, you do a great job summarizing the intricacies of the exchange here on the talk page! Just condense it a bit and there you go. María (habla conmigo) 02:27, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

• Let me take another look at my sources on the churches in Rosewood. Something about it is tickling my accuracy trigger.

Thanks again, Maria. --Moni3 (talk) 17:07, 8 May 2009 (UTC)