White Sand Black Beach: Civil Rights, Public Space, and Miami`s Virginia Key, Bush Gregory W.

With ample measures of passion and research, Bush has written a remarkable book about a special place: Virginia Key, a reminder of the possibilities of protest and change.--Gary R. Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida

Illuminates the African American contribution to the ways in which we understand and attach meaning to the notion of public spaces.--Robert Cassanello, author of To Render Invisible: Jim Crow and Public Life in New South Jacksonville

In May 1945, activists staged a wade-in at a whites-only beach in Miami, protesting the Jim Crow-era laws that denied blacks access to recreational waterfront areas. Pressured by protestors in this first postwar civil rights demonstration, the Dade County Commission ultimately designated the difficult-to-access Virginia Key as a beach for African Americans. The beach became vitally important to the community, offering a place to congregate with family and friends and to enjoy the natural wonders of the area. It was also a tangible victory in the continuing struggle for civil rights in public space.

As Florida beaches were later desegregated, many viewed Virginia Key as symbolic of an oppressive past and ceased to patronize it. At the same time, white leaders responded to desegregation by decreasing attention to and funding for public spaces in general. The beach was largely ignored and eventually shut down.