‘I NEED TO BE IN OCOEE’
Doctor wants a return of professional Ocoee Black businesses
One hundred years ago, Black men and women thrived in small towns and big cities. They owned land, homes, new cars and businesses. But they were preyed upon, killed and run out of town. In 1920, July Perry, a prominent and successful Black farmer and labor broker, dared to register fellow Blacks to vote and was lynched for his actions during the Ocoee Massacre. In this ongoing photo essay, we take a look at the differences between Black business owners from decades ago with those of today. Their triumphs, struggles, dreams and hopes are interwoven by their experiences and spirit.
“Black people are a praying people. I know the city was prayed for and preyed upon, and I know it’s a blessed town,” said Dr. Rhode Mesidor. “...everyone is afraid to come back, but I’m not afraid.” Mesidor refers to a horrific incident in 1920, when July Perry, a prominent and successful Black farmer and labor broker, dared to register fellow Blacks to vote and was subsequently lynched for his actions in what became known as the Ocoee Massacre.
“I need to be in Ocoee,” added Mesidor, one of the only Black professional businesses in the town. The city has always been home to Black domestic services, landscaping and detail businesses. Mesidor’s chiropractic practice, Rhode 2 Wellness, is the next level of care, professionalism and service.
“One hundred years ago, 50 or even 25 years ago, I don’t think Black professionals would’ve felt welcome in Ocoee,” said Mesidor. “Ocoee was known as a sundown town.”
A sundown town is an all-white town or neighborhood practicing a form of racial segregation, some with signs stating, “Colored People Out of Town By Sundown.” These towns and neighborhoods enforced the “sundown rule” with violence and lynchings.
Mesidor, 39, was born the youngest of three girls in Montreal, Canada, and raised in Miami. She was a track athlete and marching band member in high school and continued in the marching band during college. She also earned her doctorate in Chiropractic Sports Medicine at Life University in Georgia. Today, she owns Rhode 2 Wellness, a chiropractic business at 340 W. Franklin St. in Ocoee.
Mesidor attended Emory University and had dreams of becoming a pediatrician. That all changed when she got into a car accident. She had a friend whose father was a chiropractor and he talked her into getting adjusted by his father and the results were immediate and striking. She slept without needing medication for the first time since her accident.
“I thought it was weird and I thought he was going to break my neck,” said Mesidor. “It changed me, it helped me and now I like this chiropractic thing.”
Later, when she was in her pre-med classes and studying cases, she saw the lack of options and wondered how a chiropractor could also help in these scenarios. In 2009, she received her Bachelor’s in science from
Bethune-Cookman University.
“I remember calling my mom and saying, ‘I want to go to chiropractic school.’ I remember praying, ‘God, if I get in this program, don’t let me fail,’ ” said Mesidor. “Going from a Historically Black College and university to a predominately white institution in Marietta, Georgia. It’s still the South, but Miami south is different; HBCUs are different.”
With a passion for aiding people and healthcare, she enrolled at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I was the odd one,” remembered Mesidor. “Which never was the norm for me. I was in Miami and almost everyone looks brown, mixed and of the Spanish culture. At HBCUs, my teachers are brown, Indian and Black. And now I’m the only Black girl in my class.”
She endured teachers who made comments such as “all Black names like Shinequa and Quamee sound the same” and that they “would never trust a teacher with (dread)locks.”
Despite those hurdles, she promised herself she would graduate on time. Mesidor reached her goal, earned her doctorate in 2013 and was the only Black person that graduated with her class on time.
In 2021, a dream came to fruition when she opened her own business, Rhode 2 Wellness, where she works with high-level athletes.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the Tampa Bay (Buccaneers) athletes, some of the Atlanta Falcons athletes, Orlando Magic athletes and track athletes, USA wrestling athletes, and baseball,” said Mesidor. “A spine is a spine on everyone but for an athlete, it’s their bread and butter. So, taking care of them is a lot of pressure sometimes, but it’s been rewarding.”
“I’ve known some of them since the start of their careers, from the time they get signed to the time they have babies and now they’re moms or dads or they’re moving or retired,” said Mesidor. “I see them as more than athletes. I see them as people. I scold them when they need to be scolded. I love on them when they need to be loved on. I’m their biggest cheerleader.”
In 2016, she traveled to Rio to support Team USA Wrestling and various Team USA sprinters for the Summer Games. She has also been a partner in Education with Orange County Public schools for many years. Mesidor says her vision is to see a world where children and families achieve abundant health and live up to their full God-given potential.
“I didn’t choose chiropractic; chiropractic chose me.”