Our Work
We are against state-sanctioned violence in all of its forms including police violence and the limited access to housing, medical/wellness, and educational resources.
Current Campaigns & Initiatives
We work in partnership in coalition spaces with Long Beach community members, grassroots leaders and entities, nonprofits, and other organizations to build awareness, provide political and social justice education, leadership development, outreach, civic engagement, community organizing, and more.
Art by DAKARAI AKIL
dakaraiart.com | IG @dk1994
Housing Justice
With the threats of higher rent burden, eviction and homelessness, and limited access to homeownership, impacting Black women at a large rate, upkeeping mental health and reducing stress levels is important. 2 in 5 Black women find it challenging to pay for basic expenses and 4 in 10 Black women said racism and discrimination have limited their income and earning capacity (LB Post, 2023). We are partnering with LiBRE and Stay Housed LA to help Black residents learn about renter protections and all about what the new Long Beach “Community Land Trusts” are -- an effort to create more affordable housing in the LBC. Through community canvassing in neighborhoods and Know Your Rights workshops, we invite you to be part of a movement that’s creating systemic housing justice change for us, with us.
Black Women Are Divine
Black Women Are Divine is a national call to Black women across the world to reclaim their divinity in the names of #BreonnaTaylor, #SandraBland, #WakieshaWilson and all Black women whose lives were stolen by state-sanctioned violence. Founded by BLM Grassroots during Women's History Month, we celebrate Black women in Long Beach by lifting up local women who are making a difference in our community with recognition online and at an in-person healing event for Black women.
Engage with Us
Housing Justice
Online Actions
This Is Not a Drill!
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Our Founding Campaigns & Initiatives
Mothers Supporting Mothers
We held healing circles for Long Beach mothers who’ve lost children or loved ones to police violence or incarceration, founded by Pamela Fields, mother of Donte Jordan (killed by LBPD in 2013); guided by healing professional of 15 years (who lost a family member to police violence); membership was supported and centered in the campaign and action organizing work of Black Lives Matter Long Beach.
Photo Credit: Richard Grant
Campaign for Community Oversight of the Long Beach Police Department
This campaign was built to support a community-elected civilian commission to oversee and direct all work of the Long Beach Police Department in the streets, suites, jails, and all spaces of criminal justice enforcement and administration.
Black Canvas
The Black Canvas campaign was door-to-door / one-to-one organizing work in Black neighborhoods, churches, schools, and community spaces in Long Beach, which included surveying residents on their experiences in and visions for Long Beach in regards to criminal justice, economics, politics, and social justice; and employed Black youth in organizing jobs with Black Lives Matter Long Beach.
People’s 911 / Cop Watch
The People’s 911 / Cop Watch was a solidarity hotline for people who were dealing with police violence, arrest, jailing, intimidation, or harassment. It connected people to human rights observers, legal support, and healing resources. This work also involved community-based patrols and surveillance of police activity in the Long Beach area to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in Long Beach policing.
The People’s Budget Long Beach
Formed in 2018, the People’s Budget Coalition is a multiracial, multilingual, and multigenerational alliance that stands in solidarity with the Black and Indigenous communities and is committed to actively deepening that solidarity for the liberation of all peoples. In August 2022, Black Lives Matter Long Beach and community allies came together to release the FY 2023 “People’s Budget Proposal” and bring equity and justice to the Long Beach City budget. The City’s budget is a moral document that reflects our city’s values and priorities. Adopting the People’s Budget is more than just a shift in the way the City has done business– it is a pathway to ending anti-Blackness and structural racism in the City, undoing historical disinvestment that has continued for generations, and moving us closer towards a Long Beach that is safe and healthy for all.
The People’s Budget campaign for Fiscal Year 2023 was led by: Black Lives Matter Long Beach, Black Agency, the Housing Justice Coalition, Long Beach Residents Empowered (LiBRE), the Language Justice Campaign, the Invest in Youth Coalition, Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition (LBIRC), Long Beach Forward, Long Beach Gray Panthers, LA Voice, Long Beach Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), Democratic Socialists of America – Long Beach (DSA-LB), Sunrise Movement Long Beach, and Showing Up for Racial Justice – Long Beach (SURJ – LB).