In the heart of Baton Rouge City Park once stood a massive public swimming pool, a recreational facility that symbolized racial segregation in the city. Built in 1928, the pool was the only public swimming facility available at the time, but it was strictly reserved for white residents. Meanwhile, Black children and families seeking relief from the Louisiana heat were forced to swim in unsafe public waterways, some with strong currents and dangerous wildlife. One such location, known as "Graveyard Creek," sat near a cemetery, adding to the indignity of their exclusion.
By the 1940s, the demand for equal access to recreational facilities had grown, leading Reverend Willie K. Brooks to form the United Negro Recreation Association. Through fundraising efforts, the organization successfully opened the Brooks Park Pool in 1947, providing African Americans a safe place to swim. However, City Park Pool remained off-limits, a stark reminder of the deep racial divide in Baton Rouge.
On July 23, 1963, a group of 36 African Americans staged a "swim-in" at City Park Pool to challenge its whites-only policy. Though intended as a peaceful protest, the demonstrators were met with hostility. Police officers arrived quickly, and tensions escalated into physical altercations. Among those arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and simple battery were Pearl George, Sam Green, Betty Jean Wilson (Claiborne), James F. Williams, and Richard Thompson. Convicted and sentenced to fines and jail time, their actions became a significant moment in the local civil rights movement.
The legal battle over segregated recreational facilities soon followed. A lawsuit filed in November 1963 challenged the legality of segregation in public spaces. On May 18, 1964, the U.S. District Court ruled that if the city provided recreational facilities, it could not maintain them on a racially segregated basis. Rather than integrate, the Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission (BREC) closed all nine of its public pools indefinitely. Some eventually reopened, but City Park Pool never did. Abandoned for decades, it was finally filled in 1990.
The former City Park Pool clubhouse was later repurposed as the Baton Rouge Gallery, a contemporary art space. In 2024, the gallery commemorated the swim-in through And We Went: 60 Years After the Baton Rouge Swim-In, an exhibit that highlighted the activism that took place just outside its doors.
The Baton Rouge Swim-In remains an important chapter in the city's history, demonstrating the power of grassroots activism in the fight against segregation. Though the City Park Pool was lost, the determination of those who participated in the swim-in helped push forward the larger civil rights movement, ensuring that future generations would not have to endure the same injustices.
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