A message from the president and CEO of DORLA, Maxine Crump
A commemorative statement and moment:
And We Went
These were the words of one of the Baton Rouge residents who staged a Swim-In 60 years ago at the whites-only City Park Pool in Baton Rouge.
In 1963, that was legal under the Separate But Equal laws, also known as Jim Crow laws. The separate part was practiced openly. Equal did not happen at all.
Those locked out called that unfair and staged a protest.
The pool was built with taxpayer money, including money from those who were barred access to the pool.
In the summer of 1963, 50 residents walked past the legally posted signs and headed toward the pool but were stopped by law enforcement. Two of the lead protestors were sisters, Betty Claiborne and Pearl George. When asked to give an account of the decision, Betty said:
We could find no reason why we shouldn’t be able to swim in that pool… and we went.
This 60-year marker is a truly commemorative statement and a commemorative moment. Baton Rouge Gallery, BREC, and DORLA honored the 60th Anniversary of this Civil Rights movement in Rouge with a month-long series of events.
The Baton Rouge Gallery is now housed in the building that was then the pool house, where the protesters initially entered to use the pool. The events of the commemoration included the Gallery‘s exhibition of contemporary artists with the title and theme “And We Went.” BREC, which was the agency in charge of the segregated pool, publicly apologized at the culminating event for injustice done to Baton Rouge citizens and for what it cost the heroes who stood up for their citizens’ rights of freedom and justice for all.
DORLA provided events and opportunities to talk about this unknown and unacknowledged history of Baton Rouge. All events brought in substantial crowds of people who engaged in unpacking the lost narrative. There were those who expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn about this significant Civil Rights legacy of Baton Rouge.
DORLA is grateful to all who came out to these events, to the sponsors, to Mayor Sharon Weston Broome (a DOR alumnus) and Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman who serves that district.
The good news is that DORLA has received requests for more conversations about the Swim-In. Look out for future opportunities to join the conversation around the Swim-In, created and scheduled by DORLA in the future.
