In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce bought a gorgeous strip of beachfront property on Manhattan Beach in California. They paid about $1,200.
The Bruces, a Black couple and successful business owners, went on to build an oceanside resort for Black people. According to Wikipedia, "It provided the African American community with opportunities unavailable at other beach areas because of racial segregation."
But it wasn't long before the Bruces faced harassment from the rest of the community. For example, a family descendant says the beach was cordoned in front of the resort, preventing guests from entering the water.
In 1927, city leaders in Manhattan Beach took possession of the beachfront land and evicted the Bruces. According to The Beach Reporter, the government also took property belonging to several other Black families.
Nearly 100 years after the property was taken from the Bruce family, the piece of beachfront land that once rightfully belonged to them is prime real estate worth $75 million. And it looks as though justice is finally being served.
