George Fatheree III with Tavis Smiley

Noted attorney and social impact entrepreneur, George Fatheree III, who represented the family in the historic Bruce's Beach case, talks about the work of the Black Land Loss Narrative Archive Project and how Black families can protect themselves from land dispossession.

Listen on Spreaker

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Bruce’s Beach

In 1912 and 1920, Willa and Charles Bruce bought land in Manhattan Beach and opened Bruce’s Lodge—a seaside resort welcoming Black visitors during the Great Migration. Known as “Bruce’s Beach,” it attracted other Black families who began settling nearby. As the resort thrived, white residents responded with racism, and in 1924, the city seized the land through eminent domain under false pretenses to shut down the Black-owned business. Discriminatory laws soon followed to deter Black visitors.

To learn more about Bruce’s Beach, visit lacounty.gov