The White House Boys are a group of men who were abused at the Dozier School for Boys. The school, created by the Florida Legislature in 1900, was a residential commitment facility for high risk males 13 to 21 years of age. It was located in Marianna, a town in northern Florida and was closed in 2011.
The abuse often occurred in a small white building, dubbed the White House. The Department of Juvenile Justice acknowledged the abuse in October, 2008, placing a plaque on the building. It reads:
In memory of the children who passed these doors, we acknowledge
their tribulations and offer our hope that they have found some
measure of peace.
May this building stand as a reminder of the need to remain vigilant
in protecting our children as we help them to seek a brighter future.
Moreover, we offer the reassurance that we are dedicated to serving
and protecting the youth who enter this campus, and helping them
to transform their lives.
Officially Sealed
by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
October 21, 2008
Related categories 3
Sites 11
- CNN: 'White House Boys' win inquiry of reform school graves Four men, now in their 60s, spurred an investigation into 32 graves at the Dozier School for Boys.
- ABC News: Florida Investigates Graves at Boys School Includes accounts of abuse, the governor's letter ordering the investigation, and video.
- CNN: 'Whatever is below those crosses is crying out' Interview of Don Stratton who was at Dozier in the early 1960s. Includes photographs.
- The White House Boys Stories of abuse by survivors and links to videos and articles.
- The White House Boys Survivors Organization Includes accounts of abuse, videos, timeline, and articles.
- Tampa Bay Times: For Their Own Good Special reports including photographs, video, archives of documents and news articles from 1932 to the present, related articles, and links.
- Jackson County Floridan: Former Dozier Inmates File Lawsuit The White House Boys file a class-action suit against state agencies and Troy Tidwell, a former Dozier employee. Includes recollections by Bill Davidson. The suit, filed in 2009, was dismissed in 2010.
- Tampa Tribune: State Right To Raise Ghosts Of Dozier School's Past Editorial on the documented abuse and its relevance today.
- Metacafe: Dozier School For Boys Videos Includes accounts of abuse and the closing of the white house.
- Deadly Secrets: The Lost Children of Dozier Video of the 2016 Lifetime TV documentary about the Florida reform school, featuring reporter Ben Montgomery and forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle, including interviews with families of boys who died at the school.
- Florida's Dozier School For Boys: A True Horror Story NPR report in text and audio about forensic anthropologists working to find the unmarked graves of the 81 boys known to have died at the notorious reform school.