This is a companion piece to the Community Editorial Board’s Editorial: State of Black Long Beach, which calls for recent data on how the city’s Black population is doing in order to support new initiatives and programs that encourage equity.
The following is a list of community initiatives working to increase education, economic, health, and policing equity in Black Long Beach. Email us at [email protected] about any other initiatives not included and we’ll add them to this list.
- Black Lives Matter Long Beach remains on the front lines advocating for local accountability and action.
- Support Black businesses via the website BlackOwnedLongBeach.Com
- Black Business Strategies (BBS) is a new initiative between community partners, CSULB, and the small business development center (SBDC) assisting Black businesses with knowledge, skills and digital marketing to enhance the quality of life of both business owners and customers.
- In September 2018, the city allocated funds for the African American Cultural Center Long Beach. The mission is to “celebrate, cultivate, and advance the enrichment of the heritage and culture of the Black/African American community in Long Beach and beyond.”
- The Be Well Collaborative vision is “that all Black people receive the care, compassion, dignity, and respect that everyone deserves when it comes to health.”
- The Downtown Long Beach Alliance recently profiled Black businesses downtown.
- Vintage sports store Play Nice, which is co-owned by Ryan Hoyle and Senay Kenfe, holds community events about financial literacy and community building, as well as helps distribute food.
- CSULB Black Student Resource Guide provides support for Black students on campus.
- Antioch Church is currently organizing an ongoing giveaway in Long Beach.