This week we had a 30 minute special from KFI news. This story explores the stolen legacy of Bruce's Beach.
"In the early 1900s, Willa and Charles Bruce and their son Harvey, moved to California from New Mexico, part of a wave of Black Americans moving to the state to escape the violent hatred and racism that was going on in the South. Charles took a job as a chef on the Union Pacific train route between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, and Willa, well Willa had her sights set on the ocean.
In 1912, Willa and Charles purchased beachfront property between 26th and 27th street in what would eventually be known as Manhattan Beach. The price? $1,225.
The resort became known as “Bruce’s Beach,” the first West Coast oceanfront property that was owned and serviced by Black residents and it became a popular destination for Black Americans.
But the success of Bruce’s Beach wasn’t embraced by everyone and it wasn’t long before some of the surrounding white population started trying to force them out. Local developers, residents, and members of the Ku Klux Klan began a campaign of harassment that included threats and acts of violence.
Through it all, the Bruce family refused to leave.
In 1924, that choice was taken from them when the land was seized by the city through eminent domain and the resort was shut down. After a years-long legal fight, the Bruce family left Manhattan Beach, never to return…until now."
Special thanks to Corbin Carson from KFI news for the story above.