Ocean City, Maryland

Riots in Ocean City, unknown photographer, 9th Street, Ocean City, Maryland, 1960s. Courtesy
Nabb Research Center, Mel Toadvine Collection, 1993.031.3.2.038

After successfully integrating public accommodations in Baltimore, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) attempted to push for integrations on the Eastern Shore. In Ocean City, CORE tried a similar tactic as they tried in Westminster, meeting with officials and threatening protests that would keep tourists from vacationing there. As a town that relied on tourism, this was too great a threat, and officials integrated public accommodations. By 1964, a CORE report noted that African American members were able to use many public accommodations without incident.