On June 23, 1949, the pools in Washington, D.C. are formally desegregated. Over the next few days, black children are routinely turned away by the lifeguards at Anacostia Pool. Those allowed into the pool face a violent reaction from white swimmers, some of whom fear that swimming in the same water as black people is bad for their health.

On the afternoon of June 29, about 100 whites and 70 blacks are at the pool. A group of white men chase a black man out of the pool. Police arrive as a crowd gathers in the park, some armed with bats, clubs, and knives. Fighting ensues. Four people require hospitalization, and five men are arrested, two black and three white.

Authorities close the pool until the summer of the next year, when a biracial group of mothers petition for it to be reopened.