Chief Duane "Yellow Feather" Shepard (R) raises his fist into the air alongside (L-R) Sandra Bruce, activist Kavon Ward, and Derrick Bruce during a ceremony to return ownership of Bruce's Beach to the descendants of a Black family who had the land seized from them through eminent domain a century ago on July 20, 2022 in Manhattan Beach, California. - Los Angeles county officials returned the California beachfront property to the descendants of a Black family who had the land seized from them a century ago, in a move hailed as a step towards atoning for racial injustice. Willa and Charles Bruce purchased the land in 1912 and after adding a few other adjacent plots created a beach resort, which came to be known as Bruce's Beach, catering to Black residents, who had few options at the time for enjoying the California coast. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
A California beach that had been taken from Black owners during the Jim Crow era, before being returned to their descendants last year, will be sold back to Los Angeles County for upwards of $20 million.
On Tuesday, county officials confirmed that family members of the original landowners, Willa and Charles Bruce, have informed the county of their decision to sell Bruce’s Beach, according to CNN. However, it’s still unclear when the sale will be completed.
“The seizure of Bruce’s Beach nearly a century ago was an injustice inflicted upon not just Willa and Charles Bruce but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires,” Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement.
The Bruce family had previously received the official deed to the oceanfront property last year, after it was taken by the city of Manhattan Beach following efforts from relatives, local officials and activists.
The land was purchased by Willa and Charles Bruce 1912 for $1,225, and the couple eventually built several facilities on the property, including a cafe and changing rooms.
The resort ended up becoming a popular tourist attraction for Black families, however the Bruce’s were treated by White neighbors and the Ku Klux Klan, the outlet reports.
And just 12-years later in 1924, Manhattan Beach took ownership of the property, paying the Bruce’s a paltry sum when compared to the land’s worth, while citing eminent domain.
Eminent domain is the process by which the government may seize private property with proper compensation, but without the owner’s consent.
The Bruces ultimately left the property and died just five years later.
The beach was since turned into a park, complete with a lifeguard training facility.
Then in 1995, the property was transferred to Los Angeles County, beginning the process that would eventually lead to county officials returning the land to the family.
In 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom championed those efforts and signed legislation to allow for the return of the property to Bruce’s descendants.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn too said she fought hard to return the land to the Bruce family, because she “wanted to right this wrong,” and added “this is what reparations look like,” according to CNN.
“This is what reparations look like and it is a model I hope governments across the country will follow,” Hahn said in the statement.
