The Land Was Ours: African American Beaches from Jim Crow to the Sunbelt South

Abstract

Most studies of the sun belt South revolve around suburban development and the federal government's role in promoting economic growth in the post–World War II era. The Land Was Ours takes a different approach. It focuses on the sun belt's waterfront areas and the role racism played in lakeside and seaside development starting in the late nineteenth century. The result is a compelling examination of the evolution of “coastal capitalism” and an insightful exploration of the perspectives and experiences of African American waterfront property owners and pleasure-seekers (p. 1). The Land Was Ours uses case studies to explore the history of the sun belt's shores. It begins by looking at the black excursion and amusement industry along the Potomac River at the turn of the century, shining light on early forms of predatory lending that consistently undermined black enterprise. The second case study makes clear that African Americans used waterfront property for more than fun and games. On the Gulf Coast, black Methodists developed a religious retreat, a seaside sanctuary from the temptations of daily life. Elsewhere, African Americans developed secular retreats, what Andrew W. Kahrl calls “black privatopias,” to escape the indignities of Jim Crow (p. 86). Kahrl makes the important point that pressure to preserve elite black summer enclaves such as Highland Beach, Maryland, gave rise to “a distinct (black) political ideology grounded in notions of privatism and property rights” that privileged class hierarchy over racial solidarity, reminding readers that African Americans were not always exemplars of communalism (p. 88).