Boynton Beach will repeal outdated segregationist ordinances created in 1924

In a long overdue move that will mark a historical change to outdated city laws, Boynton Beach commissioners will repeal three segregation ordinances that were established a century ago.

The ordinances were created to prohibit residents of the opposite race from entering certain areas at night.

Two of the ordinances, numbers 37 and 47, were authorized in 1924 and established “The Negro District within the Town of Boynton, Florida” and “The White District within the town of Boynton, Florida.” The third, ordinance number 136, was passed in 1933 and made it illegal for any person over 18 to “loiter, wander, stroll or be about or in the public streets, parks, public or other places, on foot, in a vehicle or any kind whatsoever” in the other race’s segregated district after 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on the month.

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The ordinances are a symbol of the barriers faced by communities of color and the city’s decision to remove them from the books comes after a lengthy review of all the city’s ordinances.

In this case, the rules were sundown laws and were commonly used throughout the country to enforce segregation.

“These ordinances are part of our history, but they won’t be a part of our future,” Mayor Ty Penserga said in a news release. “While they haven’t been enforced for many years, it’s time we remove them from the books. There is no place for segregation and racism in Boynton Beach.”

Ty Penserga

The commission will repeal the ordinances at its 6 p.m., Tuesday meeting at City Hall, 100 E. Ocean Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

The repeal is part of the Unity Project, funded by the Mellon Foundation, South Arts and the Florida Division of Arts and Culture, whose goal is creating a sense of community among the city’s diverse population.

The city will follow the gesture with a symbolic march at 10 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 24 in Boynton Beach. Residents are invited to take part in the march, retracing the steps of the Black community’s journey toward equal rights in the city.

Community members will meet at 10 a.m. at City Hall and march to Sara Sims Park, where the commissioners will burn the ordinances. That will be followed by a block party.

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James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach will repeal outdated segregationist ordinances created in 1924