The dream of a Black entrepreneur to open a lodge and seashore membership for Black patrons in Santa Monica within the Nineteen Fifties was smashed by a racist land seize by town by means of eminent area.
Greater than 60 years later, town of Santa Monica is contemplating repaying the household whose property was seized.
The Santa Monica Metropolis Council voted Tuesday to discover compensating the descendants of Silas White, a Black businessman who needed to renovate an outdated constructing on Ocean Avenue right into a lodge and seashore membership for Black patrons within the segregated metropolis.
Santa Monica’s vote comes practically a yr after town of Manhattan Seaside acknowledged its personal racist historical past at Bruce’s Seaside, a Black group that was closed in 1924 by means of official channels. The property was ultimately returned to the descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce by Los Angeles County.
The Santa Monica Metropolis Council motion places a deal with town’s historical past with heightened racism.
A stretch of sand at Bay Road ending at Bicknell Avenue was as soon as referred to derogatorily by close by white residents as “the Inkwell” as a result of it was frequented by Black beachgoers from 1905 to 1964. A mural that depicts Black individuals having fun with the sand and solar within the early 1900s is now displayed close to that stretch of seashore.
Santa Monica’s personal racial reckoning took an vital step ahead Tuesday to acknowledge the Ebony Seaside Membership, a dream location that by no means materialized. White secured the rights to the constructing by Could 1957, and a buzz began to construct round his lodge and membership all through town and throughout the county. His supporters included constitution member and jazz large Nat King Cole.
However a number of months earlier than White was set to open the Ebony Seaside Membership, town launched eminent area proceedings to grab the property for “civic parking,” in line with historic information. A lawsuit adopted, however the metropolis gained, condemned the property and demolished the constructing by 1960, changing it with a parking zone.
Newspaper web page from the L.A. Instances archives.
(Los Angeles Instances)
Earlier than the constructing was seized, White positioned massive indicators saying his intentions to open a membership and lodge that will cater to Black patrons in an try and push back theft of the land by town, Santa Monica Metropolis Councilmember Caroline Torosis mentioned earlier than Tuesday’s vote.
“We need to heart the wants of the individuals who have been most harmed by the selections that authorities has made,” Torosis mentioned.
Metropolis employees will return in 90 days with attainable subsequent steps to right what town calls “racial animus” carried out greater than 60 years in the past. That might embody using eminent area as soon as once more to reclaim property that may very well be returned to White’s descendants.
The town has been in contact with White’s household and the group often called The place Is My Land, which is devoted to figuring out and reclaiming property taken from Black individuals. The Ebony Seaside Membership would have occupied a small portion of the location the place the posh Viceroy Lodge sits right this moment in Santa Monica.
At Tuesday’s council assembly, White’s descendants thanked the council for taking on the problem to discover restitution.
Kavon Ward, founding father of The place is My Land, performed a message for the council from 90-year-old Connie White, Silas White’s daughter, who recounted the ache her household skilled when town stole the Ebony Seaside Membership from the group.
“Each time I revisit the occasions that led to my father’s lack of his dream, the Ebony Seaside Membership, my anxiousness and ache returns full power,” she mentioned. “There aren’t any phrases to explain the anguish of shedding the loving communication that we had as a household.”
Probability Davis, White’s nephew, and different relations thanked the council earlier than the vote.
“It’s inspiring to see that we’re selecting to face with the Black group and that you’re devoted to righting the wrongs of previous councils,” Davis mentioned.
