Up next in 10
#BrucesBeach #reparations #BlackOwned
If you like our videos, pitch into our Crowdfunding efforts to grow our operations! https://ifundwomen.com/projects/sharing-empowering-unique-black-stories
In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce bought a piece of land by the beach in Manhattan Beach, California. A resort was built on that land for Black beachgoers to enjoy at a time when beaches were segregated.
What became of that resort is a tragedy that is a prime example of systemic racism.
Link to Petition: https://www.change.org/p/manhattan-beach-city-council-address-the-full-history-of-bruce-s-beach
BlackExcellence.com is a digital platform dedicated to sharing thought provoking, informative, entertaining, and noteworthy stories in the global black community.
Website: https://blackexcellence.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BExcelOnline
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackexcell...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/BExcelOnline/
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
When I told folks that my family once owned the beach here, they would laugh at me
0:08
They didn't believe African Americans owned beaches. So we're in Manhattan Beach, California
0:23
Ah, Bruce's Beach Park. But who's Bruce and what's the history behind that name
0:30
In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce bought a beautiful piece of land between 26th and 27th Street in Manhattan Beach, California
0:39
On that land, they built a resort overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean
0:45
While Charles Bruce worked as a dining cart chef on the train running between L.A. and Salt Lake City, Willa run the popular resort
0:53
The area attracted black beach goers and other blacks who moved in and built their own cottages by the sea
1:00
And it was affectionately referred to as Bruce's Beach. Bruce's Beach was one of the few beaches in Southern California where African-American families could legally attend
1:10
As Bruce's Beach became more popular, racial hostility towards the African-American community grew
1:16
What followed black beachgoers, however, was a flood of harassment by white residents in Manhattan Beach
1:24
When the harassment by local residents failed, the city stepped in with a solution to drive blacks out of the area
1:31
In 1924, more than two dozen properties, including the resort, were seized through eminent domain because the city said there was a need for a public park in the area
1:42
The Bruces and other black families sued alleging what led to the seizing of their properties was racial prejudice
1:50
The Bruces sought $120,000 in compensation The litigation took years and resulted in a payout of only $14,500
2:01
After their land was taken from them the Bruces went inland and spent the remainder of their lives as chefs for other businesses
2:09
The land remained a vacant lot for years and it wasn't until the 1950s that a park was
2:15
built out of fear that the families might come back and sue for their land back Are you a resident around this area Mm I in the South East So when did you become aware of the history
2:29
of Bruce's Park? Actually, I had heard about it a while ago
2:35
but I forgot about it. And my daughter, Amaya, wanted us to come
2:42
just to be out by the beach like a week ago. And so we decided to come here and we were thinking, what is it
2:52
Me and my husband, because my husband was with us too. And we was like, what is it about the name of this park that we were trying to figure out
3:00
And it was so crazy because the next day on my Facebook feed, a friend of mine posted a link to the, I think, LA Times article about this particular area and the history of it
3:18
And I clicked on it and I was like, we were just there
3:22
and so I shared it with my daughter and my husband and we were like yeah and so my husband was like
3:29
yeah I remember hearing about that a while back and so we just kind of read the article and
3:34
refreshed our memory and then my daughter was like uh-uh our ancestors founded that we need
3:39
to be at that park every week. So what does this area symbolize to you? This park? Well that there's
3:49
history that is little known. And so, you know, it would be nice to make sure that everybody's
3:58
aware of it, not just, you know, through a Facebook feed. When we think about discrimination or especially a hundred years ago, we think maybe California
4:08
was free of that because it's not part of the South. No, I actually am a direct descendant of someone who was directly discriminated against
4:18
My mom, when she came here in 1969, she faced a lot of discrimination because of her accent
4:25
and because of the fact that she was an outsider. I know that it happened here because this is where she came from
4:33
Belize, straight here. What this park symbolizes to me is how the system was used to demolish to rob black people of their wealth Whatever little amount of wealth they managed to build over the years
4:54
system and laws being used against them to rob them of that wealth
5:00
It only makes me wonder how many more Bruce's beaches are out there. They might not necessarily be by the beach in a rich area
5:09
might not be resorts, might not be hotels or a business, but it's the fact that the government used a law
5:19
to hold back a group of people. The argument I hear right now about systemic racism
5:28
and how it doesn't exist now because there are no specific racist laws in the book
5:35
In a lot of cases, it's not that. There were specific laws for black people
5:40
and specific laws for white people. Some existed in the books, right
5:46
But a lot of the times, it was not that. What happened is how those laws get applied
5:53
All of a sudden, this community needs a park. When it's a black couple that has built a resort on that land
6:02
that land has to be taken away from them. They will tell you it's not a racist law
6:08
It's eminent domain, something the community needs. something we would have done for anybody who would have owned that piece of land
6:14
But somehow it happens to black people. And they'll tell you, I would have pulled you over
6:23
The fake $20 bill is something that applies to everybody. Right? But how is that law applied when it comes to white people and black people
6:34
That's what we are saying is systemic racism. this park yeah it happened 100 years ago but it's still relevant today just think about how much
6:47
wealth was taken away from the bruce family because their kids their grandkids cannot inherit
6:54
this resort this land from them that is worth millions and millions of dollars right now
7:03
that what we talking about when we talk about the racial wealth gap we want to make sure this doesn still happen now Over the years the park had many names
7:17
including City Park, Beachfront, and Bayview Terrace Park. It wasn't until 2006 that the city council voted
7:25
to remain the park after the Bruce family. A plaque went up that reluctantly tells the story
7:32
of Bruce's Beach by first giving recognition to a white man, Mr. George Peck, who was, quote
7:39
one of our community's co-founders who made it possible for the beach area below the site
7:44
to be developed as Bruce's Beach. The plaque makes very little mention of the Bruce family
7:51
When I told folks that my family once owned the beach here, they would laugh at me
7:57
They didn't believe African Americans owned beaches. So over the years, this park has had various different names
8:06
And the last paragraph here, it tells you why it was named Bruce's Park at the end
8:11
And I'm just going to read what it says. The Manhattan Beach City Council renamed the park as Bruce's Beach in July 2006
8:18
commemorating our community's understanding that friendship, goodwill, and respect for all begins within our own boundaries and extend to the world community
8:28
All are welcome. On the surface, that's such a nice sentiment. You know, to commemorate all love and accepting and understanding
8:37
starts within our boundaries. But why not say this is dedicated to the people that had a resort here
8:45
who were driven out of this community. These people were a beacon of hope for the Black community in LA
8:52
All that demolished. Now there's a new movement to not only replace the plaque with a new one that accurately tells
9:02
the story of the Bruce family, but to also give the land back to the family, along with
9:07
the restitution for 95 years of lost revenue. Thank you
#Discrimination & Identity Relations
#Human Rights & Liberties