Beach Segregation

Beach Segregation. . , Side 1 , Beaches, a cherished asset to Sarasota County, were not always welcoming to Sarasota’s African–American communities. Prior to Brown vs. the Board of Education and Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat to a white patron, citizens of Newtown (the African-American community located north of downtown Sarasota) were campaigning for equality and a beach of their own. In 1951, the same year the County purchased its first public beach in Nokomis, Newtown resident Mary Emma Jones attended the Board of county commissioners’ meeting to request a beach for the “colored” residents. Following voter approval of a recreational bond in 1952 that included beach acquisition, the county proposed a swimming pool in Newtown. Two Newtown activists appeared before the county commission in the spring of 1955 and stated they believed more people would prefer a beach than a pool. That fall, Neil Humphrey, president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, led several visits of Newtown residents to city-owned Lido Beach to show support for a beach and rejection of a community pool. Participants went swimming, took walks, or sat and enjoyed being at the beach; each visit ended without a major confrontation. (Continued on other side). Side 2 (Continued from other side). Neither the county nor the city wanted full responsibility for establishing a “Negro” beach. Citing severe erosion and dangerous currents, the City of Sarasota temporally closed Lido Beach to public use and instead of a “Negro” beach, supported building a swimming pool in Newtown. The county commission instituted several committees to locate and purchase a suitable beach site; suggestions included properties on Longboat , Casey, and Siesta keys, along with creating a manmade island between lido and Siesta keys (accessible by ferry), but none gained public approval . In September 1956, The News, a local newspaper, made a plea for the county and city to stop shifting responsibility and act by selecting a beach site, appropriating the funds, and making “the beach available to the Negro population.” After much public debate, a south Venice beach became the unofficial “Negro” beach; the round trip from Newtown was over 40 miles. In November 1957 the city opened a community pool at Newtown Recreation Center. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places illegal, rendering separate beaches unnecessary; however, it would be several more years before the area beaches were truly integrated.