Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice. . Imagine Santa Monica in the late 1800s. African Americans settled on the land and enjoyed the beaches. But not all the land and not all the beaches. , Black families couldn't live in certain neighborhoods and weren't allowed on some White-owned properties. Legally beaches were open to everyone, but White prejudice forced Black Americans to find beaches where they were not bothered or insulted, like the Bay Street Beach. , Now fast forward to the 1950s. The city wants to modernize. In South Santa Monica, officials tear down some Black neighborhoods and rebuild others. African Americans can no longer afford to live near the beach. , Although stories like this are sensitive to relate, they're part of our city's history. They inspire us to promote environmental and social justice – where everyone has a healthy environment in which to live and access to the places that make our city, state, and country special. , Beach Visitors , African Americans swam and socialized at the Santa Monica Beach at Bay Street and Ocean Front Walk until the 1960s. Like these teenagers photographed there in 1926, African Americans found less anti-Black hostility at the Bay Street Beach than at other Southern California beaches. Still, Whites called it the “inkwell,” in reference to the color of Black beachgoers' skin. , South Santa Monica Beaches , In this 1939 aerial view, the Bay Street Beach is halfway between the Santa Monica Pier (north) and the Ocean Park Pier (south). Today it is a national historic site, reminding us of the struggle for Black equality in the region. , Cristyne Lawson , A descendant of the pioneering Stout family in Ocean Park, Cristyne Lawson took this photograph at the Bay Street Beach in 1953. She attended Juilliard, New York City's renowned performing arts school, and later danced with the famous companies led by Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey. , [Photo Captions/Credits (clockwise from top left)] , . (Left to right) Grace Williams, Albert Williams, Mary Mingleton, Willie Williams (no relation). Shades of L.A. Photo Collection/Los Angeles Public Library , . UCLA Department of Geography, Thomas Air Photo Archives, Spence Air Photo , . Cristyne Lawson Collection