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  • White Sand Black Beach: Civil Rights, Public Space, and Miami's Virginia Key by Gregory W. Bush
  • Brian J. Daugherity
White Sand Black Beach: Civil Rights, Public Space, and Miami's Virginia Key. By Gregory W. Bush. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2016. 269 Hardbound, $29.95.

In White Sand Black Beach, Gregory Bush examines the struggle for civil rights and access to public waterfront space in Miami, Florida, from the turn of the twentieth century until roughly the present day. Bush, director of the Institute for Public History at the University of Miami, pays particular attention to African American efforts to secure fair treatment (in the midst of substantial white resistance), the land use planning process, the clout of developers, and the impact of tourism. Part historical analysis and part personal memory, White Sand Black Beach also discusses Bush's work as a community activist and his commitment to civic engagement.

The manuscript focuses on Virginia Key, a barrier island in northern Biscayne Bay, just off the coast of Miami. In 1945, as a result of black civil rights activism, the eastern end of the island became the first legally recognized beach for African Americans in the Miami area. In subsequent decades, Virginia Key Beach Park developed into a center of black fellowship, race pride, and community cohesiveness. In the mid-1950s, the area was one of the most important outdoor venues for African Americans in southeast Florida, and special events at the beach park reportedly drew 10,000 attendees. By the 1980s, however, the park was largely abandoned, as African Americans secured access to other beaches in the area and as Virginia Key started to be developed for other uses. With the park itself under threat of private development in the 1990s, community activists, including the author, launched a successful effort to preserve the land as a park.

The effort to preserve Virginia Key Beach Park brought environmentalists, community activists, and historians together. They faced off against a cadre of local politicians, private developers, and city officials in need of revenue. Importantly, one of the keys to the preservation of the park was its civil rights history. As Bush explains, "The recent development of Virginia Key Beach Park fits clearly into the recent revival of civic engagement in designing and revitalizing public parks and with an increasing interest in black heritage tourism" (13).

Oral history functions as an important historical resource throughout White Sand Black Beach, and individual and collective memories of Virginia Key Beach Park also served as an important tool in the preservation effort. The author conducted a large number of oral history interviews as part of his research and located others to corroborate various aspects of his account. Oral history also played a crucial role in the preservation movement, as the significance of the history of the site helped to turn the tide against development. Bush notes that the result reinforces the value of "advocacy oral history," as described by Lynn Abrams (see Lynn Abrams, Oral History Theory [London: Routledge, Taylor, and Francis, 2016]). According to Bush, "In sum, this book is about the power of [End Page 213] previously lost voices to redefine and reclaim the woebegone piece of land at the center of this narrative" (15).

In the end, the story of Virginia Key Beach Park represents a window into broader issues related to civil rights, public space, and development. Bush's examination of the civil rights history of south Florida offers insights into the broader southern movement, as well as the ways in which south Florida was unique. Moreover, in White Sand Black Beach, Bush argues that our concept of civil rights, for all residents, should include access to public space, which is increasingly under threat from privatization and commercial development. By examining similar struggles over waterfront access in other communities, and linking this comparative approach to the activism that saved Virginia Key Beach Park, Bush makes a compelling argument in favor of community activism and more public-minded land use policy.

Brian J. Daugherity
Virginia Commonwealth University
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