Last modified on Sat 17 Apr 2021 06.01 EDT
On a recent morning, Duane Yellow Feather Shepard, 69, sat on a grassy hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, steps away from one of southern Californiaâs most pristine beaches.
To visitors from around the world, itâs an idyllic stretch of coastline and a prime surfing spot. To Shepard, itâs the site that conceals a painful history.
His familyâs ancestors â Willa and Charles Bruce â bought the land at the bottom of the hill in 1912 and built a resort run for and by Black residents. Despite harassment and violence from white neighbors and the Ku Klux Klan, the coupleâs enterprise endured, providing rare California beach access for African Americans.