“I will not allow the light of my life to be determined by the
darkness around me.”
– Sojourner Truth
Everybody loves the sunshine.
Art that celebrates the historic beaches
which sustained our joy.
For tanning, not for the tanned.
Shop original
prints inspired
by advertisements
that shunned
Black beachgoers.
Top image credit: Couple at the beach, Atlantic City Heritage Collections, Atlantic City Free Public Library
Right image credit:Edward M. Eggleston for the Atlantic City/Pennsylvania Railroad
“…there is and has always been, beauty and joy in Blackness.”
A Safe Beach, an on-going project designed and curated by Danielle McMillian, was formed to resurface a piece of American history that was all but lost in time. Through cleverly reimagined beach advertisements, the African American beachgoer is depicted in iconic vignettes. Those who were shunned for their melanin are celebrated.
For decades, Black people have experienced racism at the beach. They sought refuge from the summer’s heat there, only to be prohibited or told to go to less desirable beaches. In spite of the odds, we’ve thrived.
A Safe Beach is just that. An acknowledgement of joy in the midst of a lawfully racist America. A plea to preserve the culture of an abandoned American summertime. A reminder that there is, and has always been, beauty and joy in Blackness. Welcome to Safety. Welcome to The Beach.
Teens at Chicken Bone Beach by John Mosley
Credit: Atlantic City Heritage Collections, Atlantic City Free Public Library
Learn it’s story here.