Graduation Year

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Granting Department

Anthropology

Major Professor

Antoinette Jackson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Brent Weisman, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kevin Yelvington, Ph.D.

Keywords

black beach, heritage, history, identity, Jim Crow, memory

Abstract

Institutionalized racial segregation in the United States has had a significant impact on many aspects of American culture. Segregation was practiced in every aspect of public life, even in areas of recreation. For those labeled as "nonwhite," even going to the beach was legally restricted. The events between the 1950s and 1960s at Homestead Bayfront Beach in Homestead, Florida are evidence that social stratification based on the social categorization of race has a significant effect even today. This research examines how legalized segregation in the past impacted society and contributed to the development of a place and identity at Homestead Bayfront Beach. This analysis not only fills a gap in the historical record on segregation and recreation in the United States, but also contributes to research on place and place making and the formation of memory and identity.

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