Justice has been served! No matter how long it takes, never stop fighting for what you believe in, even if it takes decades! Yesterday history was made in California when Governor Gavin Newsome signed a bill that returned property known as Bruce’s Beach back to the descendants of a Black couple, Charles and Willa Bruce. The couple built the first West Coast resort for Black people in 1912 before they were ran out of Manhattan Beach almost a century ago according to the LA Times.
If you recall, we reported about Bruce’s Beach back in April as it gained attention, and that led to controversy in the predominately white city of Manhattan Beach. The area reportedly has less than one percent of Black residents. The attention worked because on Thursday, Governor Newsom spoke before a crowd while on the property, confirming that the city took the land away due to racism and under false and unlawful pretenses. Through Bill 796, he decided to right the wrong.
Bill 796, which was passed unanimously this month in the state Legislature, includes an urgency clause that will allow Los Angeles County, which currently owns the property, to begin the process of transferring the land immediately. The legislation declares, “The land in the City of Manhattan Beach, which was wrongfully taken from Willa and Charles Bruce, should be returned to their living descendants and it is in the public interest of the State of California, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Manhattan Beach, and the People of the State of California to do so.”
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With Bruce’s Beach now being restored to its rightful owners, Governor Newsome suggested that the actions taken could start possible reparations. “I really believe this can be catalytic,” Governor Newsom said. “What we’re doing here today can be done and replicated anywhere else. There’s an old adage: Once a mind is stretched, it never goes back to its original form.”
Congratulations to the Bruce family!
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