By Chris Burrell — …Lynn residents are not the only people of color struggling to access Massachusetts' beaches. In some of the most racially diverse and low-income urban communities along the coast, including Lynn, pollution caused by inferior wastewater infrastructure can force local beaches to close to swimmers. And beaches in many other areas simply aren't open to the public, which critics link to lingering effects of overtly racist housing practices in coastal communities.

By Kathy Leonard Czepiel — Connecticut has 253 miles of shoreline, but in the late 1960s only seven miles of it were accessible to the public. That rankled activist Ned Coll, and he set out to do something about it.

By Andrew W Kahrl — America's beaches are for everyone. Let's keep them that way.