Documentary recounts lynching of Black man in Broward County
MIAMI - Rubin Stacey was lynched on July 19, 1935. Historians say his death is the only lynching on record in Broward County.
A film entitled Rubin was created by his family and historians to serve as an educational opportunity and a chance to document a significant moment in South Florida Black History. The film premiered at NOVA Southeastern University.
Rubin Stacey was not only lynched, but he was also shot 17 times, and tied to the back of a car and dragged according to his great-great niece Tenille Brown.
She says there are many stories as to why Stacey was lynched, "He went and knocked on the door asking for work. She invited him in, and he cut her with a pen knife," Brown said. However, she also asserts there are reports that Stacey may have never gone to the woman's home at all.
Ken Cutler, a City Commissioner for the city of Parkland and a historian, was used in the Rubin film. He says the climate during the time of Stacey's murder was tumultuous.
"The Civil Rights Act didn't occur until the 1960s so at the time, everything was segregated. Blacks were on one side of town, whites were on the other side of town. There was a lot of racial tension," said Cutler.
The film Rubin was about getting to know who Rubin Stacey was, beyond just his tragedy.
"He was a family man. Somebody who was always involved with family. Spent time with his wife. He spent time with his son," said Brown.
He also loved to fish. Brown says her aunt Anne Naves, lived in the house with Stacey and was eight at the time of his death. It wasn't something the family spoke about often as it brought on a lot of shame.
However, now they're speaking about it in hopes to tell the full scope of history, especially at a time in Florida when challenges to the teachings of Black history are being called into question.
"This idea of trying to rewrite what actually happened. Now is the time for people that understand what truth is to stand up and get that truth out," said Cutler.
Another important part of this film was the teaching about what lynching is. Commissioner Cutler explained that it's not just the hanging of someone from a tree it can also mean tying someone to the back of a car and dragging them.
Ultimately those involved want to continue to educate despite what's happening in our state. A two-mile stretch of Davie Boulevard has been renamed Rubin Stacey Memorial Boulevard.
