Artist Depicts Black History Erasure in Manhattan Beach

A powerful new exhibit at the Manhattan Beach Art Center examines the historical erasure of Black residents from the coastal community through a series of immersive installations. “Reclaiming Bruce’s Beach: Histories Unearthed,” created by acclaimed artist Jamila Washington, uses multimedia presentations to document the forced displacement of Black families from the beachfront neighborhood in the 1920s, according to Patch.

The exhibition, which opened last weekend, has already drawn significant attention for its unflinching examination of the community’s troubled racial history. Washington’s work focuses particularly on the story of Willa and Charles Bruce, who established a popular beach resort for Black residents before the city used eminent domain to seize their property.

Headlines Trending Right Now:

Artistic Vision

Washington, a Los Angeles-based multimedia artist whose work has been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Hammer Museum, spent three years researching and developing the exhibition. The centerpiece installation recreates the Bruce’s Beach resort using historical photographs, architectural renderings, and oral histories from descendants of the original Black community.

“This exhibit is about making visible what has been deliberately concealed,” Washington explained during a gallery tour. “By physically reconstructing spaces that were destroyed and amplifying voices that were silenced, we can begin to address the ongoing impacts of historical erasure.”

The exhibit includes a room-sized map of Manhattan Beach circa 1920 with illuminated markers showing properties owned by Black families, many of which were subsequently seized through various legal mechanisms. Visitors can use augmented reality tablets to see how these areas have transformed over the past century, according to Los Angeles Times.

Historical Context

The exhibition provides substantial historical context for the Bruce’s Beach story, which has gained renewed attention following California’s 2022 legislation that returned the beachfront property to Bruce family descendants. Washington’s research highlights how the dispossession was part of a broader pattern of racial exclusion in coastal communities across California.

“What happened at Bruce’s Beach wasn’t an isolated incident,” said Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, a historian who served as a consultant for the exhibition. “Similar tactics were used in Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, and other coastal areas to prevent Black Californians from establishing communities near the shore.”

The exhibit documents how Charles and Willa Bruce purchased beachfront property in 1912 and developed a resort that included a lodge, café, and dance hall catering to Black visitors who were excluded from other beach areas. As the resort’s popularity grew, so did hostility from some white residents, culminating in the city’s 1924 condemnation of the property through eminent domain, ostensibly to create a public park.

Community Response

The exhibition has elicited strong reactions from Manhattan Beach residents, with many expressing support for this unflinching examination of local history, while others question the artistic approach. Mayor Hildy Stern, who attended the opening reception, acknowledged the community’s complex relationship with this chapter of its past.

“This exhibition challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths about our city’s history,” Stern said. “While these conversations can be difficult, they are essential for building a more inclusive community that acknowledges its past while working toward a more equitable future.”

The Manhattan Beach Historical Society, which provided archival materials for the exhibition, has organized companion walking tours of sites significant to the city’s Black history. Society president Robert Williams noted that interest in these tours has surged since the exhibit opened, according to Daily Breeze.

Artistic Techniques

Washington employs various artistic techniques to engage visitors emotionally with the historical material. One installation features a beach scene with audio recordings playing oral histories from former residents and their descendants, activated when visitors step onto specific spots in the sand.

Another powerful element includes large-format photographic portraits of Bruce family descendants, accompanied by their reflections on how the dispossession continues to affect their family generations later. These images are juxtaposed with contemporary real estate listings from Manhattan Beach, highlighting the enormous financial impact of the lost property.

“I wanted to make tangible the generational wealth that was stolen,” Washington explained. “When we talk about historical injustices, it’s not just about what happened then, but how those actions continue to shape economic disparities today.”

Educational Impact

The exhibition has quickly become a destination for school groups, with the Manhattan Beach Unified School District incorporating visits into its social studies curriculum for upper grades. Superintendent John Bowes emphasized the educational value of the exhibit.

“This exhibition provides our students with a powerful opportunity to engage with local history in a way that textbooks simply cannot match,” Bowes said. “By confronting this difficult chapter in our community’s past, we hope to foster critical thinking and empathy among our students.”

Washington has developed complementary educational materials, including a documentary film and classroom guides that will remain available after the exhibition closes. The artist hopes these resources will ensure that the history of Bruce’s Beach and Manhattan Beach’s Black community becomes a permanent part of local historical narratives.

“The goal isn’t just to mount a temporary exhibition,” Washington said. “It’s to permanently change the way this history is taught, remembered, and acknowledged in Manhattan Beach and beyond.”

The exhibition will remain on display through September and includes a series of public programs featuring historians, legal experts, and descendants of Manhattan Beach’s early Black residents.