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 remembered the importance of American Beach to her family and so many others, so determined to preserve this integral piece of American history, she began her second act as an activist and conservationist, ultimately Saving the place that had always felt most like home.
After the Civil Rights Act desegregated public places, there was no longer a need for a place like American Beach and it slowly fell into disrepair.
But her first love would always be American Beach.
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.
Artists like Zora Neale Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores.
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.
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.
Mavynee loved going to the beach.
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
