Juneteenth: Community Reflects, Meditates On The Sand

SANTA MONICA, CA — People from across Los Angeles met Friday morning for Juneteenth in Santa Monica to honor and recognize the Black community, the end of slavery in the U.S. and the continued fight for racial justice in our country.

Melah Muckelroy and her daughter, Ani, were part of the group of more than 100 people wearing white on the sand. They drove from Leimert Park and when they sat down to reflect and stared at the waves, Melah realized just how connected she felt to her ancestors and how they must have felt leaving everything they knew.

"I think it's nice to be in a space just to reflect, look out on the ocean, and remember our ancestors who had to cross the ocean," Melah Muckelroy told Patch. "Knowing how many souls were lost in it, I think that's why this is a fitting space to just reflect and connect with people across the world in spirit and in mind. That's why we're here."

As protests continue across the country, the moment was one to reflect, honor the progress so far and continue the fight. People were invited to wear white, masks and bring flowers while incense burned.

Throughout June, the Inkwell has become a location where community members have recently honored George Floyd and the fight for racial justice with multiple paddle outs and protests in Santa Monica.

"Inkwell and Bruce's Beach were unofficially, or slightly officially designated for Black people," Muckelroy said.

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.

For Muckelroy, she's hopeful and knows things can change, but there's still work to do.

"It's interesting to be in Santa Monica, it's kind of the opposite of people of color now," Muckelroy said. "I think in terms of how history changes, how a city can change, you can see the positives and the negatives in terms of where people have been welcomed in the past and not welcomed and understand that that change can occur is a beautiful thing, too. And to recognize that, and not feel defeated. There are welcome spaces."

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