Published: 4/17/2010 3:15 pm
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- To promote the Atlanta area premier of a film about St. Augustine's role in the civil rights movement the oldest city's mayor went swimming with sharks.
The film documents the summer of 1964 in St. Augustine. It was made by Andrew Young, a former US Ambassador, who was severely beaten during a civil rights march in the city that year. "Crossing in St. Augustine" focuses on men, women and children who were attacked for attempting to swim in what was considered the "white" part of the ocean.
St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles went swimming, in what event organizers deemed, "Atlanta's Ocean" with Young. That "ocean" is the whale shark tank at the Georgia Aquarium.
Also swimming with the St. Augustine mayor was J.T. Johnson. As a child Johnson jumped into a swimming pool at a St. Augustine motel. The hotel's owner responded by pouring acid into the water. The event, caught on news cameras, pushed President Lyndon Johnson to demand passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Organizers say the event was an attempt to draw attention to the film, but was also symbolic, as some believe St. Augustine remains a racially divided city. Boles says he's pushing for a St. Augustine civil rights museum that has been opposed by some white residents.
Young says St. Augustine is just starting to see the sort of biracial dialogue that helped resolve tensions in cities like Montgomery and Selma many years ago.
Copyright 2010 High Plains Broadcasting LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
No comments:
Post a Comment