Abandoned and repurposed public pools litter the Southern landscape, silent monuments to a time when white officials abruptly closed pools down, instead of allowing African Americans to swim in them. Summer Headstones explores the urban decay of municipal swimming pools in the Southern United States, due to their closure and abandonment by white officials after desegregation was instituted in America. Forced into allowing African American families in these public pools, Southern officials chose instead to not allow anyone to swim in the hot summer months. Seeing no other alternative, they simply closed the doors and drained the water.
Director | Hamilton Young Ward
