By: Kelly Fraenkel
Staff Writer
Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racist Movement South Bay held a peaceful protest on Aug. 29 in Manhattan Beach, where the group of protesters marched from the Manhattan Beach City Hall to Bruce’s Beach.
Black businesswoman Willa Bruce founded Bruce’s Beach in the early twentieth century where she and her husband Charles Bruce operated this oceanside holiday destination, giving Black people access to the beach during a time when they were often turned away. The Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees took away the beach from the Bruces in the late 1920s under the pretense of requiring land to construct a city park.
“I learned about the in-depth history of Bruce’s Beach just this past year, and I learned about it through reading the LA Times article and following local organizations on instagram,” English teacher and organizer of an anti-racist book club at Costa Diana Sieker said.
The protestors insisted that the land be restored and restitutions be given to the Bruce family. They also demanded a more accurate exhibition of the beach’s history. The Anti-Racist Movement created an online petition discussing the specific reparation demands made to Manhattan Beach for the Bruce family.
“I first learned the history of Bruce’s Beach when I saw the sign, but I didn’t know the full story until people started posting about it on social media and there was an article in the LA Times,” senior Kieran Malik said.
Protestors requested that Manhattan Beach City Councilmember Suzanne Hadley resign because in an interview in June with KTLA, Hadley claimed that the Bruces had already been fairly compensated. On Dec. 1, Hadley is scheduled to assume the position of mayor of Manhattan Beach
“I think the history [of Bruce’s Beach] is utterly shameful, and I feel it is crucial for every Manhattan Beach resident and Costa student to know the truth about what occurred in their community,” Sieker said.
As protestors marched peacefully from the park to the beach, a band played the song “Wade in the Water.” On the beach, the protestors stood in a unified circle, dropping flowers into the waves and paying homage to their ancestors.
“In 3rd grade, we spend a big part of the year learning about the history of Manhattan Beach. We talked about John Bell and how the city was founded,” Malik said. “We didn’t talk about how Manhattan Beach had this black business where black people could enjoy the beach. We didn’t learn about the city claiming domain to take it away from them to build a park. The next few years in school we learned about the Civil Rights movement, but not how it is connected to our city.”
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