By Dianne Anderson Where to go, what to eat, and where to sleep is always the question for thousands that make up the unhoused roaming community of Long Beach where solutions are not fast or easy, but small gains seem to be taking shape. At last week’s announcement of the 2024 Homeless Point in Time Count, Mayor Rex Richardson ...

Long Beach City College (LBCC) celebrated its first center dedicated to Black student success with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 22. The new Black Student Success Center celebrates the African Diaspora and provides important mental, physical, spiritual, intellectual, and financial support services to advance students’ personal and academic progress. “Opening up LBCC’s first Black Student Success ...

by Dianne Anderson Homeless shelters are brimming with the elderly, a fast growing segment of the unhoused since 2017, displaced by roaring rents, and pushed to the fringe of society since COVID funding stopped flowing. But for those who were able to strike it big in a recent lottery, a new community permanent housing center ...

By Dianne Anderson Odds are that the oodles of money flowing down each year at the city of Long Beach came and went by the time the community found out it was there. But for those who act fast, more money is coming down once again. Microgrants are now available for Neighborhood Associations to apply ...

by Dianne Anderson Summer action at local parks for the kids will keep parents happy, but happier still, there seems to be enough work to keep their high school teens productive and paid well into the next school year. For parents not quite ready to splurge $100 or more per week per child to enjoy ...

Project refurbishes a former nuisance motel, provides 78 new interim units  The City of Long Beach celebrated the beginning of renovations for its forthcoming new interim shelter, Project Homekey at 5950 Long Beach Blvd. This $6.5 million construction project will add to the City’s suite of temporary housing facilities for people experiencing homelessness.  “Today marks ...

By Dianne Anderson  Voters, young and old alike, will fill in the circles and send their ballots in early, drive down to their local Registrar of Voters polling places at lunchtime or after work, or some may show up the old-fashioned way to stand in line and get the I voted sticker on the back of ...

By Dianne Anderson More than any other race or ethnic group, Black moms are at risk of either dying during childbirth or having their baby die in that first critical year of life — a statistic that baffles some, but others say it’s a predictable outcome of unequal access to healthcare. For Gwendolyn Manning, reaching ...

By Dianne Anderson Discover, curate and contemplate, but most of all celebrate Black History Month events throughout the city are opening the eyes of awareness. of culture, social justice, academics, and the arts. Paul Carter, assistant director of the Black Resource Center at Cal State University, Long Beach, said this month brings several thought-provoking and ...

By Dianne Anderson A grand mix of attractions at the African American Cultural Center will draw out the throngs for two free days of fun with a little something for every history buff, along with youthful renditions of life from a Black History perspective. This year, the African Marketplace includes 25 vendors, with space for ...