A beach that was once a haven for Black music and celebrations will now be a place for anyone to come and learn about Black history along the Chesapeake Bay, reports WTOP. That five-acre piece of waterfront land on the Bay, Elktonia Beach, will turn into a park with access to the water.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Vince Leggett, the founder and president of Blacks of the Chesapeake.
The land, he said, was purchased for around $7 million.
The City of Annapolis, Md., Blacks of the Chesapeake, Chesapeake Conservancy and the state of Maryland entered into an agreement with the Conservation Fund to acquire the property through a patchwork of funding, including federal, state and city Program Open Space funds.
Last week, with the support of U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, the fiscal year 2022 spending bill also included $2 million in congressionally directed spending to the City of Annapolis, to support a state and local partnership effort to establish and develop a city park.
