The Forgotten History of Segregated Swimming Pools and Amusement Parks
/The Forgotten History of Segregated Swimming Pools and Amusement Parks
By Victoria W. Wolcott
Summers often bring a wave of childhood memories: lounging poolside, trips to the local amusement park, languid, steamy days at the beach.
These nostalgic recollections, however, aren’t held by all Americans.
Municipal swimming pools and urban amusement parks flourished in the 20th century. But too often, their success was based on the exclusion of African Americans.
As a social historian who has written a book on segregated recreation, I have found that the history of recreational segregation is a largely forgotten one. But it has had a lasting significance on modern race relations.
Swimming pools and beaches were among the most segregated and fought over public spaces in the North and the South.