Photo by Bob Levis
The boardroom at the San Diego Port Authority shook in celebration. Early afternoon on Tuesday, July 14,
2026 the usually sedate San Diego Port Authority meeting burst with enthusiasm over the approval, at long last, of the naming of a strip along the waterfront “Kumeyaay Beach”. Who could have imagined that it would take the cultural sensitivity of a humble, thoughtful, San Diego beach-loving citizen to highlight an ever-present American dilemma ... the lack of local cultural and historical accuracy and awareness. Previously dormant Americans are finally aware of the awesome power and responsibility of citizenship in our democracy. As Woody Guthrie so cogently sang, “This land is your land, this land is my land, this land belongs to you and me.”
About three years ago, Jody Wilson observed that there was no recognition or acknowledgement of the Kumeyaay on the San Diego Bay waterfront. She had been going to her job on the San Diego Bay for twenty years and was perplexed by this. She could find ample reminders of Spanish influence in the
Cabrillo Monument and the Coronado Bridge, but nowhere was there anything named for the Kumeyaay on the Bay. Jody expressed her concern to Auntie
Gwen Cooper (aka our esteemed, 97 year old, respected elder and advisor).
Professor Cooper asked, with her typical Socratic questioning, “What are you
going to do about it, my Dear?”
That question launched a three-year, historically intricate bureaucratic journey
that ultimately ended in favor of a section of the waterfront now named Kumeyaay Beach. The official stamp of approval brought an eruption of cheers
from supporters and leaders of the Kumeyaay Nation. Tribal unity was palpable. Jody Wilson was thrilled. She and BenNaman, you carried this to the finish!”
“While I was the original applicant, I could not have accomplished this alone. My deepest
thanks go to those friends who came to speak at that first Port meeting 3 years
ago: Steve Benagas (Barona), Tony Trujillo (Mesa Grande), Jamie LaBrake (Sycuan), Steven Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape), and my dear Aunty Gwendalle Cooper(Cherokee). Additional thanks to
all of you who attended the July 14th meeting at The Port. The love and support evident in that boardroom were amazing! And, to those who spoke in support of Kumeyaay Beach, you have my respect- Jesse Pinto (Jamul), Jamie LaBrake (Sycuan), Bobby Wallace (Barona), Lisa Cumper (Jamul), Mary Munk and Ben Naman, you carried this to the finish!”
Howka.
