Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
American Beach: A Haven in the Time of Storm

American Beach: A Haven in the Time of Storm

Cole, Johnnetta Betsch

Hardcover

General Photography

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 1588385957
ISBN13: 9781588385956
Publisher: NewSouth Books
Pages: 166
Language: English

During its first thirty years, thousands of Black beachgoers vacationed at American Beach on Amelia Island because it was one of the few beaches in Florida where Black people were allowed to visit, sunbathe, swim, and own property. Even though its heyday ended in the mid-1960s, Black communities continued to visit the beach community into the 1980s and 1990s. In American Beach: A Haven in the Time of Storm, longtime photojournalist Bob Self's duotone photographs serve as a time capsule of Black recreation and joy during the summers of 1988-1990 at American Beach. He let his days photographing at the beach be guided by events, invitations to sit and have a beer, attend a social gathering, or share a meal. More than that, Self conducted oral history interviews with a handful of individuals who had strong ties to the pre-1960s segregated days at the beach. American Beach is the result of that work more than three decades ago.

In addition to those photos from 1988, 1989, and 1990 and a handful of oral histories, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, former president of Spelman College and Bennett College, Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, great granddaughter of one of the founding fathers of American Beach (A.L. Lewis), and current resident of American Beach has also penned an essay reflecting on her American Beach experiences.

With American Beach, Self hopes readers will discover American Beach the same way that he did nearly four decades ago--one moment at a time.

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