five black men waiting in line at left, while another black man faces four white men standing inside a doorway behind a sign reading, "Private Pool/Members Only"

%C2%A9 Danny Lyon. All rights reserved.

Cairo, Illinois. The public swimming pool has been changed to a "private pool" in order to remain segregated., 1962

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The Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s was a widespread effort to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. News coverage of sit-ins and freedom rides dominated the cultural and political landscape of the United States. At this time Danny Lyon was in his early 20s and an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago. After meeting John Lewis, the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s (SNCC's) in Cairo, Illinois, Lyon then traveled to Mississippi, to cover voter registrations, and soon he was present at almost all of the major SNCC events during the movement. Lyon served as SNCC’s photographer from 1962 to 1964 and later documented his experiences in his book Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement.

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Details
Title
Cairo, Illinois. The public swimming pool has been changed to a "private pool" in order to remain segregated.
Artist Life
born 1942
Role
Photographer
Accession Number
2001.45.2.1
Curator Approved

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five black men waiting in line at left, while another black man faces four white men standing inside a doorway behind a sign reading, "Private Pool/Members Only"

© Danny Lyon. All rights reserved.

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