About BLLNAP
BRUCE’S BEACH
In 2022, the heirs of Charles and Willa Bruce secured the return of beachfront property their ancestors had lost a century ago through a racially motivated eminent domain action. This was the first, and remains the only, time that the US government has returned property to an African American family.
Many believe that the return of Bruce’s Beach was the result of a brilliant legal analysis or argument. But the catalyst for the return of the property was a story, community support, political will, and legal advocacy inspired by that story; a story that appeared in a newspaper recounting the Bruces’ success running a popular beach resort for Black Angelenos, and how the property was unjustly taken because the Bruces and their patrons were Black. The story inspired local activism, political leadership, and ultimately, legal involvement. It was collecting the narrative of what happened to the Bruces which ignited the movement, which eventually resulted in the property’s return almost 100 years later.
Almost a century ago, the city of Manhattan Beach seized the properties that make up the park known today as Bruce’s Beach. In 1995, the two parcels closest to the ocean were transferred to Los Angeles County. Credit / Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
Willa Bruce (Left) with her daughter-in-law and her sister in Manhattan Beach in the 1920s. Credit / California African American Museum, via Alison Rose Jefferson
Visitors to Bruce's Beach in 1920. Credit / Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection - UCLA
Anthony Bruce, the great-great-grandson of Charles and Willa Bruce, speaks at a press conference where California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 796, authorizing the return of ocean-front land to the Bruce family. Credit / Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images
THE NARRATIVE ARCHIVE PROJECT
Through the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project, we intend to collect, preserve, and amplify stories of Black Land Loss, in the hope of inspiring public awareness, community activism, political leadership, and change. The narratives archive will form an invaluable resource for scholars, authors, historians, educators, storytellers, and change agents who wrestle with issues of restitution, reparations, racial inequity in home ownership, and the racial wealth gap.
Through documenting stories of Black land loss, the archive will help to demonstrate the magnitude of what Black families have lost and will contribute to the national dialogue to encourage paths to restitution, rebuilding, and healing.
Disclaimer: Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project is not offering to, and does not, provide any legal support or legal advice. Our focus is to ensure that stories of Black land loss are not lost or forgotten and that they can be preserved and amplified to inform our national dialogue around issues of race, justice, restitution, and reparations.
SUPPORT BLLNAP
Support the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project by donating or by simply spreading the word to inspire awareness, activism, leadership, and change. Join us in making a lasting impact!