Stop the privatization of American Beach

On November 18, 2019, the Nassau County Board of Commissioner will be making their final vote to determine the fate of our inherent right to camp out on American Beach. The Beach has a history deeply rooted in the African American community and holds great cultural significance.

American Beach was established in 1935 in defiance of segregation and the prevailing Jim Crow laws of that era by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida’s first African American millionaire. The original 216 acre property was purchased as a waterfront oasis and haven for blacks in the south during a time when we weren’t allowed to swim at the prevailing “whites only” beaches. American Beach became known as “The Negro Ocean Playground”….a place for “recreation and relaxation without humiliation”.

One year after the initial purchase Eartha M.M. White of the CLara White Mission started the tradition of camping out on American Beach and this tradition has continued uninterrupted for 85 years.

Since it’s establishment the Beach has suffered considerable land loss due to the encroachment of developers and is now less than half of its original size and shrinking. This assault on this great cultural landmark continues with the move to privatize the Beach. Help preserve the historical legacy of American Beach by signing this petition.