A Tense Coexistence: Examining the Interracial Character of Belle Isle Park in 1920s-1940s Detroit

Abstract

This paper explores the interracial character of Belle Isle Park in Detroit in the 1920s-1940s. It examines interactions between Black and white Detroiters on an integrated island park at a time when urban recreational spaces were often segregated. Belle Isle represented an exception to the rule of segregating more intimate activities - for example, it had an integrated beach when interracial swimming was staunchly opposed due to white fears surrounding miscegenation - however, it was not a model for interracial harmony, as the Detroit Race Riot of 1943 broke out on Belle Isle after years of tension between Black and white visitors.