A monument for Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach. A Black family owned two beachfront parcels in the 1910s, only to see them condemned by government officials. Photo: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Podcast: The fight for a beach once owned by a Black family
By Denise Guerra | Los Angeles Times 
June 18, 2021

Nearly a century ago, government officials pushed a Black family from their beachfront property in the Southern California city of Manhattan Beach. Now, in what could be a landmark in this nation’s efforts to correct past injustices to African Americans, Los Angeles County wants to give Bruce’s Beach back to the family that once owned it. 

Today, we hear from the historians, family members and grass-roots organizers who championed this cause for years until it could not be ignored. We also speak with L.A. Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia about her work, which amplified the story of Bruce’s Beach to the world.

Listen to the podcast here.