Saturday, September 15, 2012 • 9:00 A.M.–Noon
Join Heal the Bay and other local organizations in the annual cleanup at the historic African American Bay Street Beach in Santa Monica, California.
Santa Monica Beach at Bay Street
Parking Lot 4 South
www.healthebay.org/ccd
(View flier)
The beach site sometimes known as the “Inkwell” was originally situated near Shutters Hotel and the Casa del Mar, south to Bicknell Street. The city beach site was a popular hangout for African Americans in the County of Los Angeles from the 1920s to the early 1960s, long after racial restrictions on public beaches were invalidated in 1927.
In 2008 The City of Santa Monica at Bay Street and Oceanfront Walk officially recognized this important gathering place, as well as Nick Gabaldon, the first documented surfer of African and Mexican American descent.
Santa Monica Conservancy docents will talk with volunteers about the history of this unique site. You can read more about the Santa Monica Bay Street Beach in this article published in the Summer 2009 issue of Southern California Quarterly.
At this site we celebrate our collective love of the ocean and our layered community history through the creation of a new Coastal Cleanup Day site in Santa Monica. Volunteers will be educated about the history and environmental concerns of this site. Cleanup site partners include:
- Heal the Bay
- The Santa Monica Conservancy
- The California Historical Society
- BlackSurfing.com
- The LA Black Underwater Explorers
- The NAACP
- Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
- Santa Monica First African Methodist Episcopal Church
- The California Coastal Commission
Coastal Cleanup Day gives us an amazing opportunity for action, education, and remembrance of our collective history. We stand united by our love of the ocean. We remember the past and move forward together as stewards of this precious environment.
All cleanup supplies will be provided. Volunteers under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.
To learn more, download the flier here. For a complete list of sites or to register, please visit www.healthebay.org/ccd.
In related news, please see this post about the upcoming White Wash Documentary Screening and Discussion on September 16, 2012.
