What I’m Reading: Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters – 19 in a series – “Although Americans had less money, they had more leisure time…”

“The role of the state in creating and sustaining segregated recreation was heightened during the 1930s. Urban historians have exposed the culpability of the state in segregating American housing during and after Roosevelt’s New Deal.76 Less well understood is the culpability of the state in segregating other urban spaces during the Depression.

One might suspect that the depths of the Great Depression would bring recreation to a standstill. The opposite proved to be true. Although Americans had less money, they had more leisure time and spent scarce resources on movies, amusement park visits, and excursions to bowling alleys and roller rinks. More than any other urban institution, the local swimming pool became a central part of American lives.”

From Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters: The Struggle over Segregated Recreation in America by Victoria W. Wolcott

Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters: The Struggle over Segregated Recreation in America by Victoria W. Wolcott

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