“A strange and unsettling glimpse of the land of sun and surf in the waning moments of segregation in the South.â€â€”Gilbert King; author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall; the Groveland Boys; and the Dawn of a New America “A testament to the efforts of a black community determined to provide wholesome recreation for their families in a segregated society. This masterpiece of local history changes the way we think about the history of tourism and civil rights.â€â€”Susan Sessions Rugh; author of Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations “The story of Florida tourism has been told in many ways; but this book gives a perspective that has been missing from most of them. Vickers and Wilson-Graham finally open the gates to Paradise Park so that all are welcome to sample its wonders.â€â€”Tim Hollis; author of Selling the Sunshine State: A Celebration of Florida Tourism Advertising “An invaluable time capsule. This bittersweet book vividly describes the joys of Paradise Park; while acceptance and endurance of racist practices are also remembered and voiced.â€â€”Marsha Dean Phelts; author of An American Beach for African AmericansParadise Park was the “colored only†counterpart to Silver Springs; a central Florida tourist attraction famous for its crystal-clear water and glass bottom boats. Together the two parks comprised one of the biggest recreational facilities in the country before Disney World. From 1949 to 1969; boats passed each other on the Silver River—blacks on one side; whites on the other. Though the patrons of both parks shared the same river; they seldom crossed the invisible line in the water. Full of vivid photographs; vintage advertisements; and interviews with employees and patrons; Remembering Paradise Park portrays a place of delight and leisure during the painful era of Jim Crow. Racial violence was at its height in Florida—the famous Groveland rape case happened right as Paradise Park opened—and many African Americans saw the park as a safe place for families. It was a popular vacation spot for the area’s black community; one of the most cohesive and prosperous in the South. Tracing the color line through Florida’s most famous spring; this book compares the park to other tourist destinations set aside for African Americans in the state and across the country. Though Silver Springs was Florida’s only attraction to operate a parallel facility for African Americans; Paradise Park has been just a whisper in the story of Florida tourism until now.
#3705267 in Books University Press of Florida 2006-12-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.62 x .68 x 6.50l; .97 #File Name: 0813030242208 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Self-defense and tactical nonviolenceBy James MarshallThis study reviews in depth the introduction of armed self-defense in the rural areas of Louisiana and the Black Belt South and the motivations of local blacks to defend themselves against white Southern violence against the black community. It concentrates mainly on the Louisiana communities and pays little attention to other areas in the Deep South; especially Mississippi; which Lance Hill's Deacons for Defense does.The study pays particular attention to black manhood and the interaction between nonviolence in the civil rights movement and armed self-defense efforts of members of the black communities. It further examines the Black Power movement.More importantly it examines black self-defense efforts in locations such as those in Jonesboro and Bogalusa; Louisiana; Tuscaloosa; Alabama; and St. Augustine; Florida; which were successful in protecting local black efforts at integration. However; these were mainly nighttime efforts to protect the communities rather than daylight confrontations with the Ku Klux Klan.The historical importance of this study is in its examining the interaction of black organizations of armed self-defense groups and their relationship to the nonviolent local civil rights efforts.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. best account of armed defenseBy History-prof-1I picked up this book on a whim at a history conference. Having read some of the other books on armed self-defense and civil rights - Tyson's Radio Free Dixie; Strain's Pure Fire; Hill's Deacons for Defense - I was somewhat surprised to find another new book on this subject. My suspicions that this study might simply repeat what others have said quickly gave way to shock that there was so much about self-defense that we still don't know.Wendt shows how armed resistance went hand in hand with nonviolence throughout much of the movement. His account is nicely balanced. Tyson; while he's written a great book; gives far too much importance to Robert Williams; setting him up as the typical model of a black self-defense activist in the 1950s and 1960s when he is atypical. Strain almost entirely dismisses nonviolence as a fiction; something that most scholars and laypeople would disagree with. Wendt doesn't make these mistakes. He shows the long history of self-defense. He also demonstrates the myriad ways in which armed defense worked in tandem with nonviolent protests. In numerous instances across the South; black defenders not only protected young protestors; they permitted those protests to take place. Additionally; the fear that protests and armed black men generated among numerous local whites actually motivated local businesses and city governments to integrate. These are fascinating stories that show the multifacted nature of the black freedom struggle.Wendt also explores the Black Power era; focusing on how armed defense and black masculinity worked together. This is an important line of gender analysis that only a few scholars have tackled (focusing on men is also interesting given that often "gender history" is a standin for "women's history"). Wendt ultimately concludes; rightly I would argue; that guns in the Black Power movement worked against the struggle because the tandem element of nonviolence was missing. While Black Power activists certainly did not encouage violence...they encouraged self-defense...they distanced themselves from nonviolence. The focus on solely "the shotgun" minus "the spirit" worked to hurt the Black Power movement and hindered its success.This is a very good book; one I found after buying it that has been positively evaluated in almost every major history journal. Contrary to what the other reviewer has stated (and he's written a fine review); Wendt focuses on almost every southern state in the Deep South; including a full chapter on Mississippi. Perhaps Mississippi differs from other states in that the armed confrontations between blacks and whites took place at night and have received less attention than Louisiana and the Deacons. This book shows how exhaustive research; great stories; and a good thesis can produce a fantastic piece of scholarship.
