Manhattan Beach Juneteenth ceremony at Bruce's Beach honors history, urges continued action

Hundreds gathered at Bruce's Beach in Manhattan Beach on June 19 for a Juneteenth ceremony that mixed music, poetry and remarks from local leaders who framed the holiday as both a commemoration and a call to continued action on racial justice.

Mayor Amy Hworth welcomed the crowd and thanked city staff, council colleagues and Mira Costa High School students who advocated for the event. She said the city is commissioning a public art installation for the site, noting the process received more than 100 submissions and will include a public review before a selection is made.

Dr. Anthony Lee, a retired UCLA history professor, placed Juneteenth in historical context, describing it as "the symbolic end of slavery in the United States and the symbolic beginning of our struggle to create an interracial democracy." He recounted how the Emancipation Proclamation and later the 13th Amendment changed legal status but that enforcement and liberation were uneven, citing the Union Army's arrival in Galveston as a late step in ending slavery.

"This is Bruce's Beach Park," Dr. Lee said, describing the site as a once-thriving Black-owned resort and neighborhood whose residents were removed after properties were taken under eminent domain in the 1920s. "It has become sacred land for the Black community," he added.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell connected that history to recent county action and long-term policy needs. Identifying herself by wearing a county shirt, she noted the return of land to Bruce family descendants and said symbolic acts must be matched by resources and policy.

"Justice, in my humble opinion, looks like resources. It looks like policy and action like returning land to those it was stolen from," Mitchell said, and urged continued county involvement in racial-justice learning exchanges and community programs.

Mitchell also warned about reports of increased ICE activity in Los Angeles County and said the county would "continue to stand with and protect our communities against these actions," urging residents to know and assert their rights.

Students and alumni of Mira Costa High School contributed to the ceremony. Jackie Buprey, a recent graduate attending USC Thornton, led the crowd in the Black national anthem, and Donnie Ward, a former Black Scholars Union president, described Juneteenth as "resilience" and "the persistence required to press for unfulfilled justice." A student poet read "We Rose," closing the program's scheduled speakers.

Organizers announced a related community celebration on Sunday, June 22, from 2 to 7 p.m. at Polywog Park featuring music, vendors, food trucks and a poetry slam, and invited attendees to participate in ongoing art projects tied to the commemoration.

The program combined cultural celebration with historical context and appeals from officials for further policy and resource commitments; there were no formal votes or motions at the ceremony.