By Lt. Ken Roland
There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal – and that time is now.
On November 6, the City of Fort Lauderdale plans to dedicate a historical marker honoring Diana Nyad on Fort Lauderdale Beach – the same sacred ground where the 1961 Wade-In Civil Rights protest took place. That is a line we cannot allow to be crossed!
This call goes out to every church, every community group, every elder, every student, and every proud Black resident of the Northwest section of Fort Lauderdale.
We must show up. We must speak out. We must protect our sacred ground.
The Wade-In Was Not a Game
In July 1961, Dr. Von D. Mizell and Eula Johnson led a courageous group of Black citizens into those segregated waters. They faced threats, arrests, and hatred simply for the right to swim.
That act of resistance opened beaches across Broward County and changed Florida history forever.
They didn’t have cameras, sponsors, or movie deals – just conviction.
That sand holds their sweat, their tears, and their triumph. It is holy ground.
It cannot, and must not, be shared with a marker celebrating an athletic claim that remains in dispute.
A Disputed Feat Should Not Overshadow a Proven Struggle
Let’s be honest.
While Diana Nyad’s story of endurance has been praised around the world, her 2013 Cuba-to-Florida swim was never officially verified by open-water authorities.
The World Open Water Swimming Association re-fused to ratify the record because of missing observer logs — including over nine hours of unaccounted time during the crossing.
Emails later surfaced showing confusion about tracking buoys and unobserved drift.
And yet, city officials are preparing to celebrate this questionable record on the very beach where Black citizens risked their lives for equality.
That’s not just tone-deaf – it’s disrespectful.
Move the Marker
We are not against recognizing human endurance.
We are against rewriting history on our sacred ground.
The Diana Nyad marker should be moved – perhaps to Key West, The Fort Lauderdale aquatic complex (better known as the international swimming Hall of Fame pool) or the Overseas Highway, near where her swim reportedly ended.
But it does not belong beside the Wade-In memorial, where our ancestors’ courage is still felt in the surf.
November 6: Let’s Make History Again
I am calling on the people of Northwest Fort Lauderdale — from Sistrunk Boulevard to Sunland Park, from Dillard High to every church pew in the 954 — to join me at the beach on Thursday , November 6th for a peaceful but powerful protest.
Bring your signs.
Bring your children.
Bring your elders who remember what that sand meant before 1961.
Bring your voices — because when we stand together, we speak for generations who waded before us.
Date: Thursday , November 6
Location: Fort Lauderdale Beach — site of the 1961 Wade-In marker Las Olas Oceanside Loop 3000 east is Las Olas Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Purpose: Demand relocation of the Diana Nyad historical marker and preservation of the Wade-In site as sacred civil-rights ground.
This Is Our Moment
If we allow others to define our history, we lose control of our story.
If we allow this marker to stand beside the Wade-In, we allow confusion to stand beside truth.
So on November 6, let the world see us – not in anger, but in honor.
Let them hear us – not in hostility, but in heritage.
Let them know:
This is sacred ground.
And we will not let it be compromised.
Lt. Ken Roland is a JM family enterprises Inc. Black achiever award winner, former Beach Lifeguard Lieutenant, former chairman of the board for diversity in aquatics Inc., founder of Swim Central, and community historian dedicated to preserving Broward County’s aquatic and civil-rights heritage.
Lt. Ken Roland
Let’s make a difference in someone’s life today!