By Dianne Anderson Every little bit of money up to $25,000 here or there adds up for mom and pop nonprofits waiting to tap whatever new stimulus dollars they may have missed out on the first time around. New grants are coming, but first, the community needs prepare to respond to the RFPs that will ...

By Dianne Anderson It’s that time of year again when Love in the Mirror ramps up efforts for more volunteers, calling for the very young to the seniors, to come out and give in the form of socks, socks, and more socks. Socks are the most in-demand item for the homeless. “Our goal every year ...

By Dianne Anderson Black men can run and hide from the needle, but they are still over twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, even though a simple PSA blood antigen test starting at age 35 could save their lives. It’s a problem that Eric Burroughs has been chipping away at, ...

By Dianne Anderson Old boxes of wet stuck together paper from a long-defunct teen basketball program were headed for the trash, but something wouldn’t let Jesse Johnson throw out what was destined for better days. That was seven years ago. He is glad he didn’t quit when his basement flooded during a home renovation and ...

By Dianne Anderson No word yet on the status of the investigation on the hate crime against the Martin Luther King Jr. statue has Long Beach residents questioning the city’s commitment to finding out who is behind the Nazi symbols sprayed across the statue last month. Anitra Joiner, a lifelong Sixth District resident, lives nearby ...

By Dianne Anderson Everything – including the kitchen sink – is in store for the new Inclusive Business and Workforce Center to help get the community back on its feet in what is sure to be a long term post pandemic recovery. The loss of businesses and loss of jobs may be felt for years ...

By Dianne Anderson Money aside, the daily grind has been a brutal battle for Black employees at the City of Long Beach, having suffered years of racist harassment from their supervisors, even as some of the city’s leadership praised the Ku Klux Klan. That, and many other allegations of discrimination in the city’s departments is ...

By Dianne Anderson A lot of people don’t know about the backstory of Santa Ana and how much it had in common with Texas. But growing up, it was obvious to David Shipp. He said Santa Ana looked very different than it does today. There were a lot of Black folks. “Not 100%, but all ...

By Dianne Anderson Always true to their tagline “hard work, low pay and miserable conditions,” the California Conservation Corps is home to a lot of happy people working for meager sustenance, even if they have to drag 40 pound packs up the side of the mountain toward the raging fire. Until her next leg of ...

By Dianne Anderson Any excursion this summer to break through the four walls of pandemic constriction is sure to feel like an exciting vacation getaway for kids and youth. It’s been an ugly pent-up year, but the city of Long Beach parks is getting kids safely back together again with what looks like the start ...