The City of Santa Monica will formally rename a portion of Vicente Terrace as Silas White Street during a public ceremony on Monday, Aug. 10, at 4:30 p.m. at 1846 Main St., marking one of the most visible milestones in the city’s growing restorative justice efforts.
The event is free and open to the public.
The street renaming fulfills part of a settlement agreement approved by the Santa Monica City Council last year with the family of the late Silas White, a Black entrepreneur who sought to develop the Ebony Beach Club in the late 1950s. White envisioned the club as a welcoming beachfront destination for Black families during an era when segregation and discriminatory practices excluded many Black Californians from coastal recreation.
Before the project could be built, however, the city acquired the property through eminent domain, and the Ebony Beach Club never opened.
The settlement with the White family included several restorative measures, including the renaming of Vicente Terrace, the establishment of Silas White Day each year on Oct. 12, and the continued development of Santa Monica’s Restorative Justice Program.
“I am proud of the innovative and critical work that Santa Monica is doing in the restorative justice space,” Mayor Caroline Torosis said in a statement. “This is about more than property. It’s about truth, accountability, and taking real action to repair the legacy of racial injustice in our city.”
The Aug. 10 ceremony comes as Santa Monica continues to expand its restorative justice initiatives beyond the White family settlement.
In recent weeks, city staff hosted a public engagement booth during the State of the City event to gather community feedback on future restorative justice programming. Residents were asked which issues should be prioritized and where in Santa Monica they believe historical harms should be acknowledged and addressed. According to the city, that feedback will help shape future proposals.
The City Council has also established a new Restorative Justice Commission. After interviewing applicants during a special meeting in late July, councilmembers appointed seven commissioners who are expected to begin meeting later this summer. The commission will help guide the city’s restorative justice policies and programs moving forward.
City officials have described the street renaming as both a symbolic and tangible acknowledgment of Santa Monica’s history.
“None of these overarching efforts will undo the past. But here in Santa Monica, we’re a City that is willing to name its history – on our own street signs – because we are serious about earning trust for the future,” wrote City Manager Oliver Chi in this week’s city manager’s newsletter.
As part of the ceremony, the city plans to create a commemorative video and a replica of the Silas White Street sign for the White family.
While city officials acknowledge that these actions cannot undo past injustices, they say the effort represents a commitment to recognizing Santa Monica’s history and building public trust through restorative action.
Residents are invited to attend the Aug. 10 ceremony, which begins at 4:30 p.m. at 1846 Main St., adjacent to the portion of Vicente Terrace that will become Silas White Street.
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