LA Times Podcast Focuses On The Fight For Bruce's Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —The June 18 episode of the LA Times daily podcast, "The Times," features the story of Bruce's Beach.

On the Friday episode, entitled "The fight for a beach once owned by a Black family," listeners hear from historians, Bruce family members, and grassroots organizers who fought for this cause for years.

In addition to speaking with LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn—who championed the bill that would allow Los Angeles County to return the Bruce’s Beach property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce—the show interviews L.A. Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia about her work, which amplified the story of Bruce’s Beach to the world.

In 1912, a young black couple named Willa and Charles Bruce purchased beachfront property in Manhattan Beach and built a resort that served Black residents. It was one of the few beaches where black residents could go because so many other local beaches did not permit black beachgoers. The Bruces and their customers were harassed and threatened by white neighbors including the KKK. Eventually, the Manhattan Beach City Council moved to seize the property using eminent domain in 1924, purportedly to create a park. The city took the property in 1929 and it remained vacant for decades.

The property the Bruce family once owned was years later transferred to the State and in 1995 transferred to Los Angeles County. It is now the site of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Training Headquarters.

Listen to the full podcast.