By Dianne Anderson

Black past and present are at the crossroads of something better for the future of the Long Beach African American Cultural Center, which now stands small, but tall, and packs a lot of knowledge.

Darick Simpson, the center’s president, said they hope to grow bigger in their mission and in location to educate the entire community about Black contributions and achievement, something long relegated to the margins of the city.

As his vision for the center grows, strategies for the expansion will come from raising the capital needed to take it to a new level and broaden its impact, as well as floor space.

Originally, he said several years ago they planned on the center at about 30,000 square feet.

“Now we’re 2,000 square feet at best, that’s a big jump,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on the big picture. This program allows us to generate money so we’re not just taking whatever we have to keep the doors open, but that we can continue to accumulate funds to achieve a larger goal.”

The community can help with that process with its upcoming affordable fundraiser that will allow the center to be self-sustaining, and eventually expand.

On June 30, the community is invited out to “An Evening of Jazz,” hosted by the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach with featured guests John Malveaux, Alvin Hayes, Jr, Zhe Scott, Charles Julian, and Alex Fearing. The event runs from 6:00-9:00 p.m., located at the Expo Arts Center.

Despite the size, Simpson said the center is formidable to instill cultural pride with decades of information on local African American leadership, contributions not found elsewhere in the city. As importantly, he feels it is the antidote to how the truth is being withheld in school systems to deprive Black students of learning their history.

One middle school student recently told him their teacher said they would not teach Black history because it’s too controversial and it would cause conflict.

“The audacity of a teacher to say that to a child,” he said. “If that’s the reality we face, then we have to create a space where kids learn. I don’t want it just to be Black kids, I want every color of kids to learn because the more educated we all are, the more powerful we can be as a community.”

Along with the center’s monthly gallery exhibits highlighting local Black talent, and programs, they also host a drum class and an educational class. They spotlight something special on first Fridays, last month they featured local artists.

Their famed Forgotten Images exhibit is second to none across the nation, he said.

“We’re small, we’re just still fledgling as an organization,” he said. “It’s not just looking back, we’re looking forward and trying to support what’s going on currently.”

Projects and the direction for events are based on what the community wanted, but they have only one staff. Without the capacity to create programs, he said they are getting the word out and collaborating with many powerful and established Black programs, like the 100 Black Men of Long Beach.

Chair of Fundraising, Sharon McLucas, said the event is supported by the City of Long Beach, LBUSD, LBCC, and CSULB.

“The African American Cultural Center of Long Beach is launching a series of fundraisers for a permanent home for their exhibits, collections, programs, history, culture, and traditions of African Americans in Long Beach and beyond,” she said.

John Malveaux said that being recognized at the upcoming event is an honor, especially for his role with MusicUNTOLD, where he explores all of the great, yet little-known influences of Black contributions, particularly within European genres.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a Black British composer and expert swordsman, is one of the untold backstories that Malveaux said moved the needle in European music, bringing a new level of perfection to the craft.

“We are experiencing a gradual awakening. There was a book, the Mis-education of the Negro, that shows what we do not know of our history. The premiere of Chevalier is one example,” he said, adding that many at the Director’s Guild recent event participants had never heard of the master violinist.

Long before Shonda Rhimes broke Netflix records with Bridgerton, Malveaux set his sights on George Bridgetower, another Black British violin virtuoso of the 1700s who performed for royalty. He also premiered a sonata with Beethoven — although that friendship was cut short over a woman.

But Malveaux said there is a wealth of untold musical history with roots deep in the African and the classical tradition.

“We should highlight these Afro-Europeans and African Americans to show our contributions,” he said. “There’s a picture of negative [of Blacks in society]. We’re trying to swing the pendulum to equality. There’s only one race – the human race.”

General admission tickets are $25-$50 or $15 for students. Children under 10 are free. For tickets, go to
https://aneveningofjazz.eventbrite.com or leave a message at (562)276-0818.

For more information on AACCLB events, see https://aacclb.org/events/