Recognizing the impact of the Biloxi Wade-in 65 years later

This summer marks 65 years since the start of the Biloxi Wade-ins, a significant moment in the civil rights movement here on the coast. 

“Stand up for your rights. Everyone has rights,” said Herschell Pargo, NAACP President when asked what he wanted to say to the next generation. “If you’re paying for something, you have the right to be on this beach.”

This is exactly how Dr. Gilbert  R. Mason Sr. felt on May 14, 1959. Before Mason’s passing, Herschell Pargo heard the account of that day straight from him. 

“When they came down here, they couldn’t come down to the beach,” Pargo said. “Dr. Mason came down here and wanted to swim, but he couldn’t swim. He went back and came back with other people to protest to get rights to the beach. People were paying taxes on it and couldn’t come out and have recreation or swim in it.”

Mason and the protestors were met with pushback but refused to leave. They would perform the Wade-in two more times before the federal court finally allowed Black Americans on the beach – in 1968. 

Herschell says that unfortunately many of the younger generations don’t actually know the history of the Biloxi Wade-ins. Here’s what one visitor had to say when he finally learned about it. Both expressed concern about black history being erased. 

“If you don’t teach history, every generation is going to repeat itself,” said Carlos Bailey, who is visiting family. He currently lives in Ohio. “We’re going to be in more protests.  More police versus this kind, police versus that kind and it just goes on and on and on.”

Herschell Pargo won’t be letting that happen.

“There’s over 200, 300 [participants] people’s names on there. Some are living and some have gone on,” he said. “As young adults, we should take up the mantle to finish what they have started.”