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 ...

By Tyler Epps Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced back in April the city’s partnership with the Biden Administration to temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children. Mayor Garcia tweeted  “The mission of this humanitarian shelter is quick family reunification. We must treat every single child with compassion, kindness, and love.” The partnership with the U.S. Department ...

By Dianne Anderson Charity Chandler-Cole, Chief Executive Officer of CASA of Los Angeles, is well aware of all the racial and social injustices that plague the child welfare and foster systems. After all, she grew up in it. She experienced the brunt of all that it offered, and saw the maze of exploitation and profiteering ...

By Dianne Anderson Charles Parks confronted more than a few close calls trying to stay ahead of all the curveballs of his career back in his day. Some things have changed a bit over the past three decades when he was a Commander in the Long Beach Police Department, but other things are timeless. He ...

By Dianne Anderson In her worst childhood nightmares, Cynthia Terry could have never imagined the things that have become a daily reality for today’s kids. Back in her day, all she had to worry about was tending to her schoolwork, maybe some chores, and then a little time for play. “We never had to watch ...

By Dianne Anderson Calling all Black youth: Come jam the beats, get involved, get connected, and just talk it out. Last year, the Clarissa Manuel Foundation launched its latest program, Young Cultivated Minds of the Future, to make sure that when students graduate high school they can go after higher education and a living wage ...