Name Bathhouse for Joan Means Khabele

The signers of this petition urge the City of Austin to name the Bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool for Joan Means Khabele. An application form and the $365 application fee has been submitted to Austin Parks and Recreation.

This proposal to recognize Joan Means Khabele by gracing the bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool with her name carries an extraordinary potential to inspire. Joan's youthful valor, marked by her resolute stand against segregation, sparked a movement that rippled through the civil rights era. Her tenacity not only reshaped the heart of our city but also paved the way for the desegregation of Barton Springs Pool—making it a place of joy for all and a beacon of change, inclusivity and unity for our community.

The bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool should be named to honor Joan Means Khabele because her courageous leadership when she was a teenager to protest segregation at the pool sparked the civil rights era swim-ins that eventually led to the desegregation of Barton Springs Pool. Her actions touched the hearts of the city, changed our city’s values and led to the desegregation of the pool.