Civil rights swim-in

Witness: Witness Black History by BBC

Jun 18, 202510:48Society & Culture

On 18 June 1964, black and white protesters jumped into a ‘whites only’ swimming pool at a motel in St Augustine, in Florida. Photos of the Monson Motor Lodge manager, James Brock, pouring cleaning acid into the pool to...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Witness: Witness Black History.

Charleston church shooting

Jun 17, 2025 - 8:59

On 17 June 2015, white supremacist Dylann Roof attended a bible group at Emanuel African Methodist Episco...

King Kong: South Africa's first all-black musical

Mar 11, 2025 - 10:10

In 1959, Todd Matshikiza composed the score for King Kong, it was South Africa’s first musical with an al...

How bloodshed in Selma led to the US Voting Rights Act 1965

Mar 7, 2025 - 9:53

In March 1965, hundreds of peaceful civil rights protesters in Selma were brutally beaten by Alabama stat...

Emperor Haile Selassie in Bath

Sep 10, 2024 - 9:54

In 1936, Haile Selassie came to Bath in the west of England to escape Mussolini and the fascists who had...

Waris Dirie

Aug 28, 2024 - 8:57

In 1987, an unknown 18 year-old Somalian model called Waris Dirie walked into the studio of renowned Brit...

Sarah Baartman's 200-year journey back home

Apr 24, 2024 - 10:53

In August 2002, the remains of an indigenous South African woman called Sarah Baartman were returned to S...

Major Charity Adams and the Six-Triple-Eight

Apr 19, 2024 - 9:10

Major Charity Adams was the first African-American woman to lead a World War Two battalion. It was known...

The Battle of Versailles: Catwalk clash of American and French fashion

Feb 9, 2024 - 10:13

In 1973, a fashion show was held in France which became known as the Battle of Versailles, a duel between...