By Dianne Anderson

Appreciate, share the love, grow together, and most of all, learn to DIG LIFE.

All that and more is coming up at the 2nd Annual Legacy, Unity & Love: Black History Celebration, which is not holding back on culture and fun this Valentine’s Day in Downtown Long Beach for just about anything the community needs.

Organized by Totton and sponsored by Council District 1, the event on February 14 runs on the Promenade near Ross from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m., with a full day of family activities for the kids, Black-owned businesses and entertainment, and free high vibes everywhere.

“The festival bridges visibility and action, turning community energy into sustained participation and long-term opportunity for kids beyond the event day,” said Totton, Founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Dreamz Into Goals, also known as DIG LIFE.

He said they’re not playing small this year.

Youth will get scavenger hunts, live performances on the main stage, and good eats from the Culinary Corner featuring soul food, art, fashion, wellness resources, and cultural exhibits. A “Heritage Wall” will spotlight contributions of African Americans throughout history, and local pioneers like Ernest and Lillian McBride.

Totton also thinks back on the city’s past, which he said felt more like a 1930s Sundown-era city that excluded Blacks for decades. It is now transformed to a place the community can be proud of, with Black-owned businesses such as Caribbean Soul Kitchen, Marathon Burger, MacPapi, and the Blu Wellness Center.

Today, the Promenade has reshaped into a diverse, unified, and culturally reflective space.

“With leadership that actively supports inclusion, more Black entrepreneurs are being welcomed into downtown spaces, which encourages community investment, regular patronage, and a renewed sense of belonging,” he said.

Also making the event happen this year are partners including the Office of Councilwoman Mary Zendejas, who helped with local permitting. Long Beach-Mombasa Sister Cities Association is returning to connect the city’s Black history to the African diaspora with cultural exhibits tied to Mombasa, Kenya.

It’s more than a Black History Month event, and he’s looking for all cultures to come out, participate, celebrate, learn, and enjoy.

Not long ago, he started his outreach with a dream of getting free laptops, tablets, and field trips for kids. Lately, his focus is on more tutoring access, trying to pull parents into the mix to learn how to navigate education resources.

When kids know more about how to get the money and resources they need than their parents do, he said that’s a problem.

“Parents can’t get the full respect they need if they don’t have the answers or knowledge of where to look to get the goods,” he said. “Part of the problem is parents might not be aware or have the right amount of knowledge of where to get funding to help their kids get through school without a ton of debt.”

Through their DIG STEP intergenerational year-round workshops, parents and students can access health and wellness, digital resources, financial literacy, and career readiness.

“We show you how to fund your dreams using scholarships and different forms of funding for students, and we give access to our youth resource guide to let them find resources beyond our help,” he said.

Plenty of volunteer opportunities are open, and lots of youth are invited to get involved, he said, as they learn to give back.

Other participating nonprofits and health professionals this year are offering many no-cost screenings for heart, brain, kidney, and liver health, diabetes risk, inflammation, and Lipoprotein(a), a genetic heart disease marker affecting 1 in 5 people.

Mental health support will be available with counseling referrals, substance-use prevention, along with resources for housing, food, employment, and school support for free, holistic care to the community.

Youth and family empowerment is the main goal. He said bringing in Mombasa Sister City Association and linking Long Beach to Kenya and Africa gives young people a foundation of their heritage that cannot be shaken.

“History can be distorted, rewritten, or incomplete, but heritage is what we stand on. When youth understand where they come from, not just through textbooks, but through lived cultural connections, it strengthens their identity, confidence, and sense of belonging,” he said.

Phyllis Venable, past president of Sister Cities Long Beach, said their organization has been a powerhouse of inspiration for many years, locally and abroad.

Since 2007, Long Beach-Mombasa Sister Cities has brought several projects, including clean water to Mombasa, Kenya, through a partnership on a “Water Suitcase,” Sawyer’s VF100 filtration system, producing eight liters of clean water per minute running on just a 40-watt bulb.

They also shipped critical medical supplies, delivered an ambulance, and supported the Likoni AIDS Orphanage. Thousands of books were donated to Kenya National Library’s Mombasa branch, and cultural connections continue through the Amani Festival and expanding partnerships with La Paz and Port Moresby.

“Long Beach-Mombasa Sister Cities is thrilled to participate in this year’s Legacy & Unity Black History celebration. We represent the Motherland, the original roots of all peoples of this earth. Black history is world history,” Venable said.

Also coming up, CSULB has several events through the month.

On Thursday, February 5, the legacy, vision, and inspiration to spark action happens from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Speaker’s Platform at the 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration offers a powerful gathering celebrating justice and unity.

On Wednesday, February 11, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at SSSC 140D, B.L.A.C.K. (Black Love, Appreciation, Care, Kindness) centers on the Black experience with its workshop to welcome all who are ready to grow and reflect on the important things of life.

For more information:

On the Second Annual Legacy Unity & Love, see:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-legacy-unity-love-black-future-celebration-tickets-1744379539159?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

For DIG LIFE sponsorships or partnerships, email digoutreach@dreamzintogoals.org or visit www.dreamzintogoals.org.

For Sister Cities, see https://lbmsca.org/

For CSULB, see https://csulb.campuslabs.com/engage/events?categories=20712