The African Americans in Penllyn during the 20th century already created a community for themselves to settle down with their families and enjoy the activities the area had offered. One of the recreational activities that African Americans in Penllyn did was roller-skating.
Behind the Rise of Roller-Skating Within the African American Community
The only motive behind the popular trend of roller-skating was the Great Migration during the 1920s when blacks moved out from the South, and settled in the Northern states. Roller skating became popular in the late 19th century after the invention of roller skates by Massachusetts businessman James Plimpton.
Fun Fact #1 : James Plimpton opened two of the earliest skating rinks in New York City and in Rhode Island.
Roller skating was so much fun to use, more and more people began to join in, including African Americans. Even when there were no Jim Crow laws in the North, there were some roller-skating rinks that still segregate blacks from being with whites.
Throughout the early 20th century up to the Civil Rights Movement, segregated skating rinks were a norm. That was okay for the African American Penllyn community since they established a skating rink in their community for all African Americans to enjoy. The skating rink was founded by local resident Hedrick Carter.
Fun Fact #2 : Hedrick was the father of Henry "Oh Yeah" Carter, a well-known Philadelphia organ player and band leader who played with famous singers and musicians like Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Belafonte.
Bibliography
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"Doo-wop trailblazer and Germantown native Bobby Banks reflects on his career." WHYY. Last modified December 9, 2011. https://whyy.org/articles/bobby-banks/.
"How Black Roller Skaters Helped Make The Rink A Place For Grownups." Groovy History. Accessed August 27, 2023. https://groovyhistory.com/black-roller-skating/2.
Jones, E. Gloria Stewart. Penllyn Village: Lest We Forget: A History and Personal Memories of a Black Settlement in Lower Gwynedd Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. (2008).
Pettit, Leann. "Henry 'Oh Yeah' Carter, 94, of Penllyn." Patch. Last modified October 10, 2012. https://patch.com/pennsylvania/ambler/henry-oh-yeah-carter-94-of-penllyn.
"RollerCade, a black-owned skating rink in Detroit, has survived for generations with 'neighborhood-first mindset'." detour Detroit. Last modified September 19, 2019. https://detourdetroiter.com/rollercade-detroit-skating-rink-open-60-years/.
Terry, Ruth. "The History Behind the Roller Skating Trend." JSTOR Daily. Last modified September 7, 2020. https://daily.jstor.org/the-history-behind-the-roller-skating-trend/.
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