Juneteenth Surf Celebration At The Santa Monica Pier

The event marks a full circle moment given the history of the original Ebony Beach Club (EBC) which was started in Santa Monica by Silas White in 1957. In a time when beaches were still segregated and Jim Crow-laws ruled the land, the EBC was supposed to be an exclusive Black social club that created a space for leisure, elegance, and escape. Sadly, before the club could open, the city of Santa Monica claimed eminent domain on the building on Ocean Avenue and said it was needed for a "civic parking lot"--that never materialized. Though the physical space never opened, the spirit never died.

The modern take on the Ebony Beach Club has been known to throw some of the most lit and soulful parties ever to grace the shores of California's beaches. While the vibe of their events are lively and inclusive, the catalyst for the club came from a racist encounter that co-founder Justin "Brick" Howze experienced while surfing in the South Bay in 2020. Rather than dwell in the negativity and submit to the aggression, Brick, along with Gage Crismond and Tre'lan Tillman, decided to create a safe community space for black surfers and beachgoers.

"The Santa Monica Pier, once a site of exclusion for Black beachgoers, becomes the exact place we reclaim through dance, culture, and celebration. This is a full-circle moment—celebrating on the same land that our elders were pushed from while making space for joy, culture, and presence where it was once denied."

Ebony Beach Club + BLM Foundation

Ticket sales from the sold out music event will be donated to Black Surfers Collective and Aquatic Futures Foundation—two organizations doing incredible work to create equitable access to the ocean and provide healing justice to our community through surf, environmental connection, science education, and marine career pathways.