Los Angeles County officials on July 20 presented the deed to prime California oceanfront property to the heirs of a Black couple who built a beach resort for African Americans but were harassed and finally stripped of the land nearly a century ago.
The dialogue occurred on Thursday, September 30, following Newsom’s signing of legislation to return Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of the original owners of the resort. Brooks met with the governor on the Bruce family property in Manhattan Beach and questioned him on reparations, the recent gubernatorial recall and his future goals.
The story behind Bruce’s Beach tells a narrative of Black-ownership in America. Original property owners Charles and Willa Bruce had their land seized by the City of Manhattan Beach, California. The local government managed the rights to the land for almost 100 years.