Image by: Rebecca Sheir

This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s.

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation

From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 07:41

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation
From: Rebecca Sheir

An African-American author in Washington, D.C., never thought a well-meaning illustration in her children's book would spark a controversy or mystery, but she recently found herself in the thick of both. The picture showed "Colored Only" signs in D.C. in the 1930s, and Washingtonians who remember that time say no such signs existed then. But as Rebecca Sheir reports, that doesn't mean segregation, and racism, weren't in full force in the nation's capital.

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Piece Description

An African-American author in Washington, D.C., never thought a well-meaning illustration in her children's book would spark a controversy or mystery, but she recently found herself in the thick of both. The picture showed "Colored Only" signs in D.C. in the 1930s, and Washingtonians who remember that time say no such signs existed then. But as Rebecca Sheir reports, that doesn't mean segregation, and racism, weren't in full force in the nation's capital.