Arrest during attempt to integrate Anacostia pool: 1949
Police arrest an African American man at the Anacostia swimming pool June 29, 1949 after members of the local Progressive Party youth group attempted to integrate the facility.
The confrontation took place when 10 white and 10 black members and supporters of the Young Progressives entered the pool. Later, about 70 African Americans arrived and entered the pool area while about 100 waiting white opponents began a scuffle. Scattered fighting broke out both inside and outside the facility between the groups.
A white woman was chased by about 50 white youths who believed she was a “Wallacite” One in the crowd yelled, “Go back to Russia, you dirty red.”
An African American boy was corned by a white mob and sustained cuts when he attempted to climb over a barbed wire fence. Fighting continued between the two groups outside the pool area while the numbers of participants grew to about 1,000.
Two white students distributing Young Progressive handbills in favor of integration were arrested along with two African Americans who were alleged to be fighting with whites. One white youth was arrested for fighting with one of the white Young Progressives distributing handbills.
Several others among the Progressives were injured, including one African American hit in the head with a stone and a white woman trampled by a police horse.
The pool was temporarily closed as result of the clashes. The Interior Department had been scheduled to transfer the six pools to the District’s recreation department, but held off because DC insisted on segregating pools by race.
DC finally integrated its parks and pools in 1954 in the wake of the Bolling v. Sharpe school decision. The Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public parks nationwide in 1958.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskhNEzdC
The photographer is unknown. The image is an Associated Press photo obtained via an Internet sale.
Arrest during attempt to integrate Anacostia pool: 1949
Police arrest an African American man at the Anacostia swimming pool June 29, 1949 after members of the local Progressive Party youth group attempted to integrate the facility.
The confrontation took place when 10 white and 10 black members and supporters of the Young Progressives entered the pool. Later, about 70 African Americans arrived and entered the pool area while about 100 waiting white opponents began a scuffle. Scattered fighting broke out both inside and outside the facility between the groups.
A white woman was chased by about 50 white youths who believed she was a “Wallacite” One in the crowd yelled, “Go back to Russia, you dirty red.”
An African American boy was corned by a white mob and sustained cuts when he attempted to climb over a barbed wire fence. Fighting continued between the two groups outside the pool area while the numbers of participants grew to about 1,000.
Two white students distributing Young Progressive handbills in favor of integration were arrested along with two African Americans who were alleged to be fighting with whites. One white youth was arrested for fighting with one of the white Young Progressives distributing handbills.
Several others among the Progressives were injured, including one African American hit in the head with a stone and a white woman trampled by a police horse.
The pool was temporarily closed as result of the clashes. The Interior Department had been scheduled to transfer the six pools to the District’s recreation department, but held off because DC insisted on segregating pools by race.
DC finally integrated its parks and pools in 1954 in the wake of the Bolling v. Sharpe school decision. The Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public parks nationwide in 1958.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskhNEzdC
The photographer is unknown. The image is an Associated Press photo obtained via an Internet sale.