Saving American Beach

BY  Heidi Tyline King, Ekua Holmes (Illustrated by)

This heartfelt picture book biography illustrated by the Caldecott

Honoree Ekua Holmes, tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African
American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she
preserved.

MaVynee loved going to the beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn’t
just go to any beach—most of the beaches in Jacksonville were for whites
only. Knowing something must be done, her grandfather bought a beach
that African American families could enjoy without being reminded they were
second class citizens; he called it American Beach. Artists like Zora Neale
Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores. It’s here that
MaVynee was first inspired to sing, propelling her to later become a widely
acclaimed opera singer who routinely performed on an international stage.
But her first love would always be American Beach.