Feb 21, 2025 Story by: Editor
Each month on the last Tuesday, Black residents of Long Beach convene at a local art gallery to engage in discussions on housing policies, foster community connections, and empower one another.
With Black residents being the fastest-declining population in Long Beach, Black Lives Matter (BLM) Grassroots LB identified the necessity of establishing a dedicated space for them to share their experiences, support each other, and access essential housing resources. Instead of starting from scratch, they partnered with Long Beach Residents Empowered (LiBRE), a nonprofit focused on housing advocacy.
“The Black community in terms of housing and space in Long Beach is at a critical point right now,” said Brandie Davison, a BLM and LiBRE community organizer who leads the Black Neighborhood Tenant Council. “It’s very important to have spaces that center Black community within housing … and LiBRE created this space knowing that this is going on in our community and making space for those people who are literally the most impacted right now.”
Since November, the Black Neighborhood Tenant Council has been hosting monthly meetings, each focusing on a specific housing-related issue such as renter’s rights, harassment ordinances, and the history of housing and race in Long Beach. During these gatherings, attendees often initiate conversations about their personal experiences, current city council agendas, and relevant local policies.
According to Davison, the meetings are structured to be tenant-led. While a central topic is outlined beforehand, attendees frequently bring up pressing concerns they need assistance with. The most common request is guidance on handling evictions. Additionally, many participants seek advice on organizing within their buildings, recognizing the strength that comes from collective action.
A 2013 Black State of Long Beach report, authored by Black residents, revealed that between 2000 and 2010, the Black population in the city declined by 4,000 people, despite an overall population increase of approximately 700.
By 2010, Black residents comprised around 13% of Long Beach’s population. However, this figure has since dropped to 11.9%, according to the latest U.S. Census data. Further, the Long Beach blog Longbeachize reported a 13% decline in the Black population between 2018 and 2019.
This trend correlates with rising rent costs. Data from 2017 indicates that Black residents are the most housing cost-burdened demographic in the city.
Historically, when Black residents migrated to Long Beach in the early 1900s, the city implemented redlining practices that confined them to the central part of the city, an area that subsequently received minimal investment. In 2021, the city’s redistricting efforts further fragmented Long Beach’s historically Black core, complicating efforts to maintain a cohesive community and political representation.
A 2020 city report found that only 25% of Black residents in Long Beach are homeowners, a rate that is half that of white residents and the lowest among all ethnic groups in the city. The 2024 Point in Time Homeless count identified Black and Mexican communities as experiencing the highest levels of homelessness in Long Beach.
Although LiBRE has long organized Neighborhood Tenant Councils, Audrena Redmond of BLM emphasized the necessity of establishing a space specifically for Black residents. LiBRE had previously observed lower participation from the Black community in its meetings.
“It’s important to say, ‘This is something directed at the Black community,’” Redmond explained. “Yes, LiBRE has been around for a long time. A lot of people know about LiBRE, but they think that’s not something for them, but it is.”
Redmond initially proposed the partnership with LiBRE over a year ago, and since then, Davison has been committed to educating herself and others on local housing policies, renters’ rights, and housing justice strategies.
“A big part of my role is to make sure the community knows about resources,” Davison said. “A lot of times when Black residents get into new spaces they don’t feel welcome. Black renters needed a safe space and a starting point of education to empower each other.”
The 2013 State of Black Long Beach report highlighted that 73% of the Black population resides in rental housing, the highest percentage among all ethnic groups in the city. A 2023 survey revealed that two out of five Black women in California experience rent burden and face the highest levels of both legal and nonlegal evictions.
“We have a saying in Black Lives Matter, which is that, ‘We are what we need,’ so we’re helping each other, sharing information we have and being a resource and building community,” Redmond said.
Beyond fostering community at the Black Neighborhood Tenant Council meetings, Davison hopes these gatherings will cultivate more Black leadership. LiBRE is also actively pushing for reforms, including revising just cause eviction terms, implementing a right to counsel program, establishing a community land trust, and encouraging greater public participation in city budget meetings.
Source: Signal Tribune
