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- imbecile4
There's a place known as Bruce's Beach that was once a thriving African American beach resort during the early 20th century.
Willam and Charles Bruce, African American landowners, bought the property in 1912 and developed it into a successful beach resort that welcomed people of color, who were otherwise restricted to limited areas due to segregation. Bruce's Beach was a rare spot where black families could enjoy the sand and surf during a time when beaches were racially segregated.
However, in the 1920s, white residents and city officials pushed back against this establishment, often with hostility and racism. This led to a series of eminent domain proceedings that eventually stripped the Bruces and other black families of their properties, under the pretext of building a public park. The park, however, remained undeveloped for decades.
In recent years, there has been a movement towards making amends for this historical injustice. In April 2021, the State of California passed a law that would allow the property to be returned to the descendants of the Bruces. This was a significant move in addressing past racial injustices and is one of the first examples of such land reparations in the United States.
- shapesalad-3
I thought LGBTQ stood for:
Let's Go Back to Quality.
I understood it was an anti 'Made in China' movement...
- imbecile4
Seneca Village, was a predominantly African American community that existed from 1825 until 1857 in an area that now comprises part of Central Park in New York City.
This small community was one of the few areas in mid-19th century New York where African American people could own property. Some of New York's first African American property owners were residents of the village, which also contained a number of churches and a school.
Seneca Village extended from what is now 82nd to 89th Street along what is now the western edge of Central Park. The community was actually quite diverse, with a significant minority of Irish immigrants living alongside the African American majority.
In 1855, the City of New York enacted a law to take the land of Seneca Village through eminent domain, ostensibly to create Central Park. Residents were compensated for their property, but they were forced to relocate and the community was destroyed.
This history was largely forgotten until the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when historians and archeologists began to study Seneca Village and its importance to the cultural and social history of New York. In recent years, efforts have been made to commemorate Seneca Village with a plaque in Central Park, and ongoing archeological work seeks to uncover more about the lives of its inhabitants.
- sted5