Willie Dyons' Memories of Virginia Key Beach
Permanent Link:

Material Information

Title:
Willie Dyons' Memories of Virginia Key Beach
Series Title:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Oral Histories
Language:
English
Physical Description:
00:17:51

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Virginia Key Beach Park (Miami, Fla.)
Oral history
Segregation
Genre:
Video recordings
Spatial Coverage:
Florida -- Miami -- Virginia Key Beach Park
Coordinates:
25.735959 x -80.155953

Notes

General Note:
Willie Dyons was born January 31, 1952. His earliest memories of the beach are from the 1960s, when he visited the beach for church programs and baptisms. Dyons visited the beach "just about every Saturday" because "it was the only beach we were allowed to go to back then." Dyons remembers riding the train and that he was always swimming at the beach. He bought stuff at the concession stand. His favorite thing to buy at the concession stand was a hamburger. Dyons then recalls that they used to have a lot of black concerts at the beach and listening to church music at the beach. Dyons notes that when he was small, he had a lot of white friends in his neighborhood in Miami. The neighborhood has not changed much, other than better streets and sewers. Dyons went to a segregated elementary school, but by his junior and high school years, Miami became integrated. Dyons believes that race relations in Miami are better for "his generation" because of the "Spanish" people. Dyons last visited Virginia Key beach when he was about seventeen and they were getting ready to close the beach. A few years after Virginia Key beach closed, he visited Crandon beach and described it as "dicey." Dyons does not really recall lifeguards working at Virginia Key beach. But he remembers that some people would visit the beach with their boats. Following integration, Dyons said that white people started visiting Virginia Key beach. Next, Dyons would like for future people to know that the beach is "very nice" at the time of the recording. Dyons remembers the dance contests at Virginia Key beach's dance circle. Dyons said that he would like for the beach to add boat ramps and lifeguards to Virginia Key beach. Dyons would like future generations to "use the beach" so that it will stay open.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust
Holding Location:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
No copyright - United States
Resource Identifier:
FIVK045607

Related Items

Host material:
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust