> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.inthewake.tv/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Reclaiming the Shore: How Belmar History + Art Restores Santa Monica’s erased Black History
- URL: https://www.inthewake.tv/reclaiming-the-shore-how-belmar-history-art-restores-santa-monicas-erased-black-history/
- Published: 2026-09-28T15:53:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-28T15:53:06.000Z
- Description: Belmar History + Art is more than a retrospective on displacement; it is an active model for commemorative justice.
- Author: IN THE WAKE TV 
- Tags: wakethearchive

Long before Interstate 10 cut through Santa Monica and prior to the mid-century expansion of the Civic Center Campus, a vibrant African American community flourished along the southern California coast.

During the Jim Crow era, when segregation restricted public life across much of the United States, Black residents and visitors built a bustling beachside haven centered in the historic Belmar neighborhood.

However, gentrification, urban renewal, and highway development in the 1950s and 1960s displaced this thriving community, largely sweeping its cultural legacy out of the city's official narrative.

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/17/1a/171a11af-e20a-40f2-8382-82bff915265e/content/images/2026/09/Belmar-Art-History-1024x683.jpg)](https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/history-geography/belmar-history-art-2/?ref=inthewake.tv)

Photo from the The Belmar History + Art project

Today, that history is being permanently reinserted into the coastal footprint through **Belmar History + Art (BH+A)**—a multifaceted, inspirational public history and social justice project designed to elucidate and honor the complex story of historical Black beach culture in Santa Monica.

### A Living Monument to Coastal Belonging

Born as an outgrowth of the 2020 book *Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era* by historian Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, BH+A bridges rigorous scholarship, public art, and community engagement. Developed through a collaboration between Dr. Jefferson and artist April Banks, the project re-imagines how urban spaces can commemorate displaced voices.

  
Rather than relying solely on traditional plaques, BH+A transforms the site at 4th Street and Pico Boulevard into an immersive educational experience. Key components of the initiative include:

- **Site-Specific Public Art:** Central to the site is April Banks’ large-scale sculpture, *A House Floor Plan*, which visualizes the physical footprints of the homes destroyed by mid-century urban development.
- **Outdoor Interpretive Exhibition:** An outdoor panel display providing historical context, historical photographs, and narratives highlighting Black leisure, entrepreneurship, and community life in early 20th-century Santa Monica.
- **Open-Access Curriculum:** In partnership with the UCLA History-Geography Project, BH+A offers custom lesson plans for K-12 educators, bringing local Black history into California classrooms.
- **Community Programming:** Ongoing public events, tours, and panel discussions centered on spatial justice, historical displacement, and civil rights.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/17/1a/171a11af-e20a-40f2-8382-82bff915265e/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-28-114335.png)

 Black Lives in Ocean Park | Permanent Exhibition / Exhibición permanente

### Why Belmar Matters Today

Belmar History + Art is more than a retrospective on displacement; it is an active model for commemorative justice. By forcing a dialogue between past civic policy and present-day urban planning, the project establishes that Black history is foundational to California’s coastal heritage.

  
By reconstructing these forgotten narratives directly where they occurred, BH+A ensures that the legacy of Santa Monica’s early Black community remains an indelible, visible part of the city, region, and national consciousness.

### Explore & Learn More

- **Public Art Archive:** [Explore the Belmar Virtual Exhibition](https://explore.publicartarchive.org/belmar/?utm%5Fsource=gemini) and view [April Banks' Public Sculpture](https://www.publicartarchive.org/search/art/d0d0fbda?utm%5Fsource=gemini).
- **City & Project Portals:** Learn more via the [City of Santa Monica BH+A Page](https://www.santamonica.gov/belmar-history-art?utm%5Fsource=gemini) and [Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson’s Project Overview](https://alisonrosejefferson.com/belmar-history-art-a-santa-monica-commemorative-justice-initiative-continues-rolling-out-2020-2021/?utm%5Fsource=gemini).
- **Educational Resources:** Download classroom materials via the [UCLA History-Geography Project Spotlight](https://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/history-geography/curriculum-resources-2/?utm%5Fsource=gemini).

**Follow the Movement:**

- Instagram: [@alisonrosejefferson](https://www.instagram.com/alisonrosejefferson?utm%5Fsource=gemini) | [@aprilbanks](https://www.instagram.com/aprilbanks?utm%5Fsource=gemini) | [@blackportraitures](https://www.instagram.com/blackportraitures?utm%5Fsource=gemini)