Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/87353
Sarasota News Leader October 12, 2012 up her bus seat to a white patron, citi- zens of Newtown (the African American community located north of downtown Sarasota) were campaigning for equal- ity and a beach of their own. In 1951, the same year the county purchased its first public beach in Nokomis, Newtown resident Mary Emma Jones attended the Board of County Commissioners' meet- ing to request a beach for the "colored" residents. Following voter approval of a recreational bond in 1952 that included beach acquisition, the county proposed a swimming pool in Newtown. Two New- town activists appeared before the coun- ty commission in the spring of 1955 and stated they believed more people would prefer a beach than a pool. That fall, Neil Humphrey, president of the local Nation- al Association for the Advancement of Page 48 Colored People, led several visits of New- town residents to city-owned Lido Beach to show support for a beach and rejec- tion of a community pool. Participants went swimming, took walks, or sat and enjoyed being at the beach; each visit ended without a major confrontation. Neither the county nor the city want- ed full responsibility for establishing a "Negro" beach. Citing severe erosion and dangerous currents, the City of Sarasota temporarily closed Lido Beach to pub- lic use and, instead of a "Negro" beach, supported building a swimming pool in Newtown. The county commission insti- tuted several committees to locate and purchase a suitable beach site; sugges- tions included properties on Longboat, Casey, and Siesta keys, along with cre- ating a manmade island between Lido Odessa Butler and some of her friends enjoy relaxing at Lido Beach after the ceremony. Photo by Scott Proffitt