American Beach

We decided to visit the largest sand dune in Florida it was well within our reach just a few miles drive from where we were camping at a place called American Beach. And we saw the largest sand dune in Florida which of course is what we went there for but in visiting American Beach we got the sand dune…and so much more. There was a time, a sad time in our history one part of some of our darkest days and nights When African Americans were allowed to swim in the ocean… just not allowed to swim there with the whites. Abraham Lincoln Lewis wanted his employees to have a beach so American Beach was created giving African Americans a place to swim all-be-it to swim segregated. For many years American Beach thrived until segregated beaches were needed no more when the Civil rights act was finally passed…back n 1964. The sand dune is all that’s left of American Beach that and a few trees and grasses swaying in the breeze but also posted at the site are some photos of children, of churches and families. When you see these pictures…when you look at the dune and think of where all these African Americans sat you think to yourself…children and churches and families it doesn’t get any more American than that! And you wonder as you see these segregated African American families In frame after frame after frame If there will come a time in this country where all people see all people the same. So as we stood near the largest sand dune in Florida and were reminded of the wickedness of Jim Crow.. we prayed we never make the same mistakes again that we made only a short time ago.