Civil rights swim-in

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 get them out, made global headlines.

The following day, the Civil Rights Act – a landmark bill to end discrimination which had been stalling in the Senate – was finally passed.

Using archive interviews with two of the swimming activists, JT Johnson and Mimi Jones, Vicky Farncombe looks back at this crucial moment in the civil rights movement.

This programme includes outdated and offensive language.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: Monson Motor Lodge manager, James Brock, pouring cleaning acid into the pool. Credit: Getty Images)