Manhattan Beach resident Kavon Ward first learned about the history of Bruce’s Beach shortly after George Floyd was murdered in June 2020. She held a Juneteenth picnic at the park to highlight the land’s racist past. At the time, her ultimate goal was to get the land deeded back to the Bruces.
Last summer, Ward’s mission became a reality, as the land was returned to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce. Then in January, the family decided to sell the land back to Los Angeles County for $20 million.
Kavon Ward spoke to “Inside the Issues” host Alex Cohen about the disappointment she felt upon hearing the news.
“We’d worked so hard to get this land back to the family. So I think there was some historical significance there, and I felt like there should have been some social responsibility for the family to keep at least one plot of land so that Black people could afford to live there and to take up space in a very anti-Black, white city,” she said.
The stretch of land in Manhattan Beach was originally purchased by Charles and Willa Bruce for $1,225 in 1912. They built a cafe, a lodge and a dance hall which catered to the region’s Black community.
At the time, the city was a primarily white community, and many residents were not comfortable with the notion of a Black beach resort. In 1927, the city took control of the land from the Bruces and destroyed the buildings, all under the guise of creating a park.
Ward said she was originally impressed when Bruce’s Beach was returned to the family just a year after she had started the initiative to reclaim the plot.
“There was a commitment to return on land. I was not expecting that at all. So of course, I was happy. I was excited for the family. And then I just felt this passion to want to help other people do the same thing.”
Ward is now the CEO and founder of a group called Where’s My Land, an organization that helps Black Americans reclaim stolen land. She said she hoped to see Bruce’s Beach turned into Charles and Willa’s dream, where it could be a place where Black people vacationed and found leisure at a beachfront resort.
Still, Ward can comprehend why the Bruce’s descendants decided to sell the land. Manhattan Beach’s zoning laws have prevented the family from developing the land. However, she said understanding does not mean that she agrees with the decision.
“Obviously, I would feel better about it if the family honored their commitment to donate to the cause that helped them get their land back, but that didn’t happen. So I’m just feeling mixed emotions of disappointment, anger, understanding, all that,” Ward admitted.
In March, Manhattan Beach leaders unveiled a new plaque at Bruce’s Beach to acknowledge past racial discrimination. However, Ward says the plaque is too little too late and that the city’s initiative to repair harm comes off as performative.
“They made sure they mentioned that other white people owned land at the park but they didn’t talk about how those white people weren’t forced off the land and that it was investment property, where the black people who lived on that land, who purchased that land were actually removed from their community. This was taken from them, right? So it’s stuff like that,” she said.
In April, the city of Manhattan Beach formally apologized for taking Bruce’s Beach from Black families. Previously, officials had only gone so far as to condemn and acknowledge these past actions.
Ward argued that more action is necessary to undo the harms of the past.
“I think a big part of repair and reparations is ensuring that you don't do it again. So what policies are going to put in place to hold folks who commit the same harms accountable? And so unless you're talking about policy change that will allow for folks who get repair and reparations, to be able to live in peace and harmony and not be harmed again, then it means nothing to me.”
Let "Inside the Issues" know your thoughts and watch Monday through Friday at 8 and 11 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.