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Black contexts such as segregated YMCAs are absent from the dominant narrative of leisure history. Although some research has been conducted on Black YMCAs, these studies often concluded that these sites were temporary havens from racism. However, segregation was also connected to fundamental assumptions about Black people (e.g., as inferior), beliefs which could not be warded off by the erection of separate buildings. The question therefore remains: how did the ideology of segregation enter into the everyday operation of Black YMCAs? The present study used archival methods to examine this question. Findings suggested that some Black YMCA leaders employed Jim Crow stereotypes through language used in internal documents, at conferences and in program advertisements. However, other YMCA leaders strategically adopted Jim Crow in order to enable access to White philanthropy. The …