Eminent domain—it's the government's right to take private property for "public use" with just compensation. While this power is intended for societal progress, its history in America reveals a dark pattern of being used to oppress Black communities, seize their land, and destroy their wealth. The stories of Seneca Village, Bruce's Beach, and Black Wall Street show how this tool, either directly or indirectly, was used to undermine Black prosperity.
Seneca Village and Central Park
One of the earliest examples is the destruction of Seneca Village. In the 1820s, a thriving, self-sufficient community of free Black Americans lived on what is now Central Park in New York City. The village was a vital community where property ownership allowed Black men to vote, a rarity at the time. In the 1850s, the city used eminent domain to seize this land for the park. Despite being legal property owners, residents were paid minimal compensation and forcibly displaced, their community erased for a public space from which many would have been excluded.
Bruce's Beach: A Century of Injustice
The story of Bruce's Beach in California is another clear example of this abuse. In the early 1900s, the Bruce family, a Black couple, purchased beachfront property and built a successful resort for Black families in Manhattan Beach. The business flourished, but their success drew racist harassment from white neighbors. In the 1920s, the city used eminent domain to seize the property, claiming it was for a public park. The land sat empty for decades—a telling sign that the true intent was to displace the Black community. A century later, after a long legal battle, the land was finally returned to the Bruce family's descendants.
Black Wall Street: Prosperity Under Siege
The story of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, illustrates how Black prosperity was attacked even without a formal eminent domain claim. In the early 20th century, the Greenwood District was a model of Black economic power and self-sufficiency, often called "the Negro Wall Street of America." This success, however, bred resentment. In 1921, a false accusation led to the Tulsa Race Massacre, where mobs of white residents, some with official support, looted and burned the community to the ground. While not an act of eminent domain, the massacre served the same purpose: the obliteration of Black wealth and a thriving community. The devastation demonstrated how Black progress could be targeted and destroyed through racial violence.
Urban Renewal and "Negro Removal"
This pattern continued with urban renewal programs in the mid-20th century. Federal and local governments used eminent domain to clear so-called "blighted" urban areas, which were often vibrant Black neighborhoods. These communities were demolished to build highways and other projects that primarily benefited white residents. This process, often referred to as "Negro removal," fractured communities, destroyed generational wealth, and contributed to the racial wealth gap that persists today.
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