By Gail Hayman Cohen

I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember the story. We were sitting around the dining table eating dinner when my father, who at the time was a Municipal Judge in the Crest, got a phone call. We only had one phone and it happened to be between the kitchen and dining room so we could hear the conversation. My father was a mild-mannered kind of guy so the fact that his tone was angry and heated put us all on edge. 

Sammy Davis Jr. was to perform in Wildwood and his tour manager booked him and his entourage to stay in a motel in the Crest. When they got there, the motel owner refused to give them rooms. Segregation was in full swing at the time so someone called my father and asked him to help. My father and the caller worked out a solution together and then Sammy Davis Jr.’s manager called to thank my father and invited us to the early first performance. 

We all went and after greeting and warming up his audience, Sammy Davis Jr., full of passion, humor, and energy shared the story of his “motel” experience. His end line was “I know they did not give me a room because I am Jewish!” That remark brought the house down! After performing two shows for paid audiences, he did a special show for the waiters, waitresses, and staff where he led a serious discussion on equality, freedom, and respect.

Recollecting this story made me wonder why I have read histories of the Black Community of Cape May and Atlantic City, but not of Wildwood Island. It is time to focus more on preserving the history, culture, and stories of the underrepresented groups of the Wildwoods.