From the 1940s to the mid-70s, during the oppressive era of Jim Crow laws and forced racial segregation, black artists, musicians, entertainers, comedians, and radio personalities responded by creating their own recreational attractions and performance venues. Carr’s Beach was one of those prominent attractions that featured the likes of Count Basie, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Wilson Pickett, and even one of the music industry’s most sampled artists in the world, “Mr. Good Foot” himself, the “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown who performed in 1965, drawing 11,000 fans to Carr’s Beach.

These beaches where a safe haven for African-Americans to escape the pressures of everyday living in America. A place where they could relax, release and enjoy their families. It was a “Source of confidence and empowerment,” says Shajid McMillan a musician who graced WANN Radio stage at Carr’s Beach. Vince Leggett Founder & President, Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, put it this way, “The slogan was black feet, white sand, that was so empowering!”

The City of Annapolis and its partners, including Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, Chesapeake Conservancy, and The Conservation Fund, were seeking additional funding to acquire a critical adjacent parcel to these beaches for a visitor center and headquarters for Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation. Preserving Elktonia Beach as a city park would provide all residents and visitors to the City of Annapolis with direct access to the Chesapeake Bay and the rich heritage of African Americans who sought recreation, leisure, and entertainment in this historic place.