Join A Juneteenth Social Distanced Meditation At The Beach

SANTA MONICA, CA — Join a Juneteenth memorial and social distanced mediation at a historic location for the Black community in Santa Monica Friday.

Locals are invited to meet at 6:30 a.m. Friday at the Inkwell, or Bay Street Beach to begin the Sunrise Mourning Meditation.

"The first Sunrise Mourning Meditation was so well received, it’s happening again. Join Tea Afar, a nomadic storytelling project, as they create space to mourn together for a special Juneteenth memorial," Tea Afar announced on Instagram. "They want to honor all those we've lost to the pandemic and to violence inflicted on Black people in this country. Join them as they walk to the ocean to honor the ancestors and let it all out."

You can park in Lot 4 South and meet at the boardwalk at the bottom of the street. The free event will be guided by Arianne Edmonds, April Banks, Alli Simon.

Participants are asked to wear white, continue social distancing and wearing a face covering or mask.

"Please wear all white, a face mask, bring a photo of someone you'd like to honor on your phone or printed, and bring flowers to offer the ancestors," the group announced. "They will do a social distanced walking meditation at the historical Bay Street Beach, the historically Black beach in Santa Monica, followed by a guided meditation by Alli Simon."

The Inkwell is a significant location for the Black community in Los Angeles, particularly the Santa Monica and Venice communities, according to the Santa Monica Conservancy. During the early 1920s, and before the U.S. ended Jim Crow-era laws in the 1950s, the Bay Street Beach was preferred by people of color because they encountered less harassment there.

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