Los Angeles County returns land to descendants of Black couple who were dispossessed in the 1920s, after a century-long fight for justice.

In a historic move, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to return valuable beachfront property in California to the descendants of a Black couple whose land was wrongfully seized nearly a century ago. The decision comes after years of legal battles and legislative action aimed at righting a historic wrong.

On Tuesday, the Board voted unanimously in favour of transferring the parcels of land, located in Manhattan Beach and previously known as Bruce’s Beach, to the heirs of Willa and Charles Bruce. The couple had purchased the property in 1912, establishing the first resort for African Americans on the West Coast at a time when many beaches were racially segregated. However, in the 1920s, the local government, influenced by racist pressure from white residents, forcibly took the land from the Bruces through eminent domain. The property was then left unused, transferred to the state of California in 1948, and later to the county in 1995, with restrictions on future sales or transfers.

The long-awaited resolution came after a series of legislative steps. The state of California passed a crucial bill that lifted restrictions preventing the transfer of the property, and last month, the county confirmed that Marcus and Derrick Bruce, the great-grandsons of Willa and Charles, were the rightful heirs.

Los Angeles County Board Chair Holly J. Mitchell, a co-author of the motion, immediately signed the paperwork following the vote, paving the way for the family to reclaim their land. Mitchell expressed that, while it is impossible to undo the damage caused by the land’s confiscation, the move marks a positive step towards justice. “We can’t change the past, but this is a start,” she said emotionally before the vote.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who spearheaded the process, echoed Mitchell’s sentiments, stating that returning the land offers the Bruces’ descendants the opportunity to rebuild the generational wealth that was stolen from them. “This will allow them to move forward and have a stake in the future,” she remarked.

The property, currently home to the county’s lifeguard training centre and parking lot, will be leased back to the county for the next 24 months. The agreement also includes an option for the county to purchase the land for up to $20 million. The annual rent will be $413,000, with the county covering all maintenance and operational costs.

In a statement, Anthony Bruce, the family spokesman, expressed the significance of the decision. “It means the world to us, but it is bittersweet,” he said. “My great-great-grandparents, Willa and Charles, built a business to give Black people a place to socialise, and it was taken away from them because of the colour of their skin. It destroyed them financially and took away their opportunity at the American Dream.”

The return of Bruce’s Beach marks a landmark moment in a broader movement to address the historic injustices faced by Black Americans, especially when it comes to land ownership. Supervisor Hahn declared that while this might be the first of its kind, it should not be the last: “This is just the beginning. We need to continue pushing for justice for all those who were wronged.”

The return of Bruce’s Beach to the heirs of Willa and Charles Bruce represents a small but powerful step toward acknowledging and rectifying the lasting impact of racial discrimination on Black families and their pursuit of wealth and opportunity in America.