In the early part of the 20th century, African Americans in South Florida drove from as far away as Palm Beach and Miami to use Fort Lauderdale’s beaches but faced significant resistance from oceanfront property owners. On May 14, 1946, a delegation from the Negro Professional and Business Men’s League, Inc., petitioned the Board of County Commissioners seeking a public bathing beach for colored people in Broward County. In 1954, the county acquired a barrier island site, designated it for segregation, and promised to make the beach accessible, but a road was never built. In response, Eula Johnson, Dr. Von D. Mizell, and many others led a series of protest wade-ins on all-white public beaches. In July 1962, the City of Fort Lauderdale sought an injunction to end the wade-ins, but the court ruled for the defendants, launching a larger civil rights movement that soon brought integration to local schools. On July 1, 2016, the park’s name was changed to honor local black leaders whose actions forever changed the landscape.