NPS/Claire Hassler The Anacostia Pool is located within Anacostia Park which is part of the National Park Service. In 1949 it was the site of violent race riots over use of the pool. Anacostia Park was declared as an integrated park by the National Park Service in 1949, however the pool was run by the District of Columbia’s recreation board which maintained a segregation policy. The recreation board hired the lifeguards and they upheld the policy of segregation.
On June 23rd, 1949, a group of Black swimmers tried to challenge the segregation of Anacostia Pool. Several black children tried to enter the pool and swim. Angry whites splashed at them and “booed” them out of the pool. This led to several days of confrontations between swimmers. On June 29th tensions came to a climax. Around 70 blacks and 100 whites got into a confrontation in the pool. One Black child was harassed badly and chased out of the pool. He climbed a barbed wire fence to escape and cut himself on the fence. The confrontations continued outside the pool where pushing, shoving and fighting occurred. An estimated crowd of 450 people gathered outside. Some in the crowd carried baseball bats, clubs and knives. At least 20 police officers and mounted arrived to break up the riots. 4 people were injured badly enough to go to the hospital. 5 arrests were made for disorderly conduct and for spreading anti-segregation flyers. Amongst those arrested, two were Black and three were White. Two of the Whites were arrested for distributing desegregation materials while one White person was arrested for fighting against them. The National Park Service shut down the pool for the remainder of the summer. In June, 1950, the Anacostia Pool reopened as a desegregated pool. Most Whites in the area did not return to the pool. Sources:“Anacostia Pool Riot Facts for Kids.” 2023. Kiddle.co. 2023. https://kids.kiddle.co/Anacostia_Pool_riot.“Civil Rights Tour: Recreation - Anacostia Pool, Swimming for All - 1800 Anacostia Drive SE.” n.d. DC Historic Sites. https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/914. Manoukian, Marina. 2021. “What Happened When Washington D.C. Desegregated Public Pools in 1949.” Grunge. February 12, 2021. https://www.grunge.com/333248/what-happened-when-washington-d-c-desegregated-public-pools-in-1949/. Ncurrie. 2020. “‘It Is Our Earnest Hope That You Will Give Every Support to Our Plea for Democracy in the Nation’s Capital:’ Ending Jim Crow in Washington, D.C.’S Public Pools.” Rediscovering Black History. August 5, 2020. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2020/08/05/washington-dc-public-pools/. Thompson, Christen. 2023. “The Forgotten Battle to Desegregate Washington DC’s Anacostia Pool - Yesterday’s America.” Yesterday’s America. July 19, 2023. https://yesterdaysamerica.com/the-forgotten-battle-to-desegregate-washington-dcs-anacostia-pool/. |
Last updated: August 21, 2024