Preserving Jazz History and African American Culture in Atlantic City
The Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, Inc. (“CBB”), is a non-profit organization formed and titled in homage to the historical segregation of African-Americans on Atlantic City’s world-famous beaches. Use of the beach was limited to the area surrounding Missouri Avenue. In a colloquial nod to the most popular leftover from many beach picnic baskets on the avenue, the term “Chicken Bone Beach” became synonymous with this famous stretch of beach in Atlantic City. For over a dozen years, and driven by the groundbreaking efforts of its founder, Henrietta Shelton, CBB has promoted remembrance while celebrating the embracement of all races! CBB’s symbolic vehicle, Jazz, a uniquely American music form, was chosen as a beacon of America’s “melting pot”, drawing upon the founding roots of many groundbreaking African-American artists, and ever evolving through the continuing contributions of musicians of all races.
