Wade In the Water

A wade-in at Fort Lauredale

We are all familiar with sit ins. We are not as familiar with wade ins. Many of us would find it hard to believe that the ocean and beaches were segregated in the United States. Our African Americans had limited or no access to the beaches. Savannah’s Beach, Tybee Island, was no exception. Officials in Tybee in 1938 said,” "Did not want the Negro to encumber the earth on that Island …. No Negro is permitted to secure an inch of any part of the Island except the few owners of long years ago. On the waterfront, our people are not allowed, except as a servant even at the terminus of the public streets.” Jim Crow was in full effect even on the island of Tybee.

 But African Americans continued to pursue their day at the beach. In 1952, they petitioned the city to use part of the white beach but were denied. In 1957, a protest was enacted by the Chatham Christian Ministerial Association of the black ban use of Tybee Island. The Association made a request for some beach facilities be opened to blacks. They were denied their request.

 In 1960 in downtown Savannah Beach High School and Savannah State College students had a sit-in at Levy’s Department Store as Savannah’s direct-action civil rights movement began. As the Broughton Street businesses experienced sit-ins it was decided to challenge Tybee Island and beach usage too. On August 18, 1960 eleven blacks were charged with disrobing in public. All in all there were 27 African Americans involved. The wade-ins could be dangerous as the blacks many who had not only be denied beach privileges but also city pool privileges could not swim. So as they wander deeper and deeper into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean to avoid police arrest they were very much putting themselves at risk.

 Future Savannah leaders were there that day. Benjamin Van Clark who has a neighborhood named after him was there. Edna Jackson the first black woman Mayor of Savannah was there. Robbie Robinson a councilman, lawyer, and judge pro term was there. Robbie Robinson would later be murdered by a mail bomb. Their attorney was Eugene H. Gadsen who has a school named after him. There were others who waded-in. And there was more than one wade-in before the integration of the beach occurred.

 At a Savannah NAACP branch Mass Meeting to support of the economic boycott of Broughton Street businesses, President W. W. Law praised the courage of the youngsters who participated in the "wade-in”. He remarked: "If these youngsters can sit-in, wade-in, and kneel-in, all Negroes can stay off Broughton Street. Why should we buy segregation?”

To make room for the wade-ins the Tybee prison camp was re-opened. But the voice of these African-Americans would not be contained by jails and the Tybee Island beach was eventually integrated. Today they have an annual college spring break of black students called Orange Crush. The mistakes of dealing with this group show that Tybee Island is integrated now but still has a long way to go. But on the other hand the annual Tybee Island MLK Jr. leaves us with hope that things will be better one day. 
 
 

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A wade-in at a unidentified beach

A reenactment of Tybee Island Wade-In during Juneteenth Celebration