Orlando in the Summer of 1963 – “The Summer of Schools and Pools”
This is the fourth in a series of articles focusing on the momentous local changes and events in the civil rights struggle, fifty years ago in Orlando, by Doug Head, former Orange County Democratic Party Chair.
NOT “acceptable to all”
On July 10, 1963, fifty years ago, the modest success of Orlando’s insiders to avoid a public confrontation over Black access to public restaurants and hotels for was celebrated by the Orlando Sentinel. “Orlando has proceeded without incident or demonstration to work out a pattern of integration acceptable to all.” The Mayor went on vacation. But the Sentinel filled up with demands for lists of the Restaurants who had agreed to take Negros so that White citizens could boycott them; the “Mayor has committed political suicide,” said one. And another writer wrote, the Mayor has “taken away the right of the White man to associate only with members of his own race in a public place. I shall avoid these business places like the plague.”
Nationally, President Kennedy was calling in Southern Senators to tell them that public accommodation civil rights laws would have to be accepted. The Republican Party was fracturing, along future lines, with Barry Goldwater backing the southern racists and northern Republican progressives fighting back.
Monday, the 15th of July 1963, was a very hot day. “Turn on your Fans” advised a Sentinel front page story saying that the temperature would hit 94 degrees. The Sentinel “Negro Edition” or “Pink Pages” celebrated a significant change in the opening of a Public Library branch at Washington Shores Village, a real “first” for the black community. The Pink Pages again touted the black summer recreation programs being offered at the few area black schools and parks with black teenagers working on low budget games programs with black children. But the “Pink Pages” also had some large photographs of happy black children splashing in swimming pools in Leesburg, northwest of Orlando. The water must have given some people ideas about change. Because the Tuesday paper reported what happened on that hot Monday.
“Mix Attempt shuts down Fairview Park” was the headline. “Mix” was newspeak for integration. “City owned Fairview Park on the north shore of Big Lake Fairview was closed indefinitely yesterday after integration attempts were made by Negro groups.” “Two or three small groups of teen-age and adult Negros appeared at the park yesterday afternoon…they were denied admission to the beach.” Mayor pro tem Barker was notified and the City “Commission voted to close the beach and lock the gate to the park until further notice…the Commission felt the park was ‘not quite ready’ for integration.” Barker said the hand-picked insiders on the mayor’s bi-racial advisory committee had “agreed steps toward local integration would be taken slowly”. Barker summed up, “It was not anticipated that separate groups would attempt integration of facilities at this time”. Judge Baker, leader of the “bi-racial Committee” still congratulating himself and figuring that the pressure was over, said that swimming facilities had never been discussed. F. R. Johnson, President of the local NAACP said “the group was composed of some 10 or 11 members of the NAACP Youth Council, traveling in two cars.” He went on to say that the move was “merely a test” and that “he hoped that there would be no further attempts until the bi-racial committee” decides. Hot weather killed that idea.
“Wade-in Closes Pool” was the Wednesday headline. “An attempted wade-in at the [white] John Long pool on North Fern Creek Avenue by a group of Negros resulted in the indefinite closing of the facility and the two Negro public swimming areas. Further attempts at integration of other city recreational facilities also will lead to their indefinite closing,” said the Mayor Pro Tem. “It was decided to close Negro swimming facilities – Lake Mann Beach and the Carter Street Pool – after the Negro group showed up at the Fern Creek Pool,” said the Cities Recreation Director. So all the public swimming areas in the city were closed “in the interest of public safety.” The Mayor pro-tem had suspected that there would be more attempts to integrate. “If this occurs, all recreational facilities of every kind will be closed,” he said, backed by the City Council.
Barker backed up his threat, “It is a shame that so few can create such chaos for all.” He pointed out that many young people of both races were dependent on summer recreation jobs for their future schooling…a thinly veiled further threat. But F.R. Johnson of the NAACP, admitted that NAACP Youth Council members had participated in both the Fairview and the Fern Creek incidents. Also, Johnson, following the lead of the youth, said that they planned to “test” integration in the city’s parks next, “because they are already supposed to be open to all” and that “he approved.”
The stage was set for a long and very hot summer for all. The pools of Orlando never re-opened after that week or for the rest of the summer of 1963, fifty years ago, and the parks remained islands, separate and not equal. The biggest – sunshine/exposition park – where the Amway Arena once stood, remained closed to Blacks but a shift had begun. Soon, the City’s prime park disappeared. As the National NAACP meets in Orlando this week for the first time ever, it would be well to recall these events.
Fourth of a series of articles on Orlando civil rights struggle.
