Historically Black Beaches

Going to the beach is one of life's simplest joys — the sun, the waves, the sand. But for most of American history, that joy was denied to Black families. During the era of Jim Crow, Black Americans were banned from most public beaches across the United States. White-only signs appeared at coastlines from California to Florida. Enforcement was sometimes violent. Black families who tried to access public beaches faced humiliation, harassment, and danger. But Black communities refused to simply go without. Entrepreneurs and community leaders created their own beach destinations — places where Black families could enjoy the same sun and surf in safety and dignity. Two of the most remarkable are American Beach in Florida and Bruce's Beach in California. American Beach on Amelia Island, Florida was founded in 1935 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, one of the first Black millionaires in Florida and president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company of Jacksonville. He bought land and opened it as a resort for Black families throughout the South. It became a beloved getaway — even the great writer Zora Neale Hurston vacationed there. Today, the community is working to preserve its history. Bruce's Beach in Manhattan Beach, California tells a different but equally powerful story. Willa and Charles Bruce opened a beach resort for Black beachgoers in 1912. They built a joyful gathering place — only to have the city of Manhattan Beach seize their land through eminent domain in 1924, destroying what they had built. Decades later, California passed legislation in 2021 returning the property to the Bruce family's descendants, and the transfer was completed in 2022 — a historic act of recognition and partial justice. These beaches show both the pain of exclusion and the power of Black determination to create spaces of joy.