Community Leaders Launch Petition Demanding Justice for Black Workers in Long Beach (Press Release)
Petition calls on city officials to address documented disparities in hiring, pay, and promotion affecting Black employees
Long Beach, CA — April 6, 2026 — A petition calling for the City of Long Beach to address longstanding systemic issues faced by Black workers is circulating in Long Beach.
The petition, titled “Dignity, Not Delay: Justice for Black Workers in Long Beach,” was created by Community leaders, workers, and advocates to address the inequities Black workers face in hiring, pay, promotion, and workplace conditions.
The petition, found at lbbwc.org/dignitynotdelay, invites City employees, residents, and supporters to demand transparency, accountability, and measurable action from City leadership.
A PATTERN THAT HAS NOT CHANGED
The campaign is grounded in City workforce data, community research, worker testimony, and ongoing legal action.
Recent analysis shows Black workers make up approximately 11.5% of the City workforce, yet they are overrepresented in the lowest-paying jobs and make up only about 6% of higher-paying positions. This pattern has persisted for more than 15 years. (Source: City of Long Beach Employee Dashboard https://data.longbeach.gov/p/employee-demographics-data)
According to the City’s Racial and Health Equity reports, community health data highlights the broader impact. In Long Beach, 35% of Black residents work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and Black men have a life expectancy 10 years shorter than white men.
“In 2013 Dr. Alex Norman and I wrote the State of Black Long Beach: A Call to Action, recalls Dr. Lydia Hollie.
As a respected educator, author, and Long Beach Community Advocate, Hollie highlighted the historical contributions Black people have made to the City – while advancements in the workplace have been slow. “The Black community has been in this city over 100 years,” she said. “We have dedicated and demonstrated our patriotism and our Long Beach community spirit, as have our ancestors, our elders, our parents. We’re expecting chronic Black unemployment to be addressed. And not just with words, but with actuality.”
“Black men in this city need to be able to work for a living. And to make money and gainful employment that will not only enable them to be good citizens, but also to raise their families in a manner that gives them dignity and respect. For far too long, we have become very accustomed to unemployed Black men. As if to say that the only time a Black man has value is when he’s incarcerated, and a free Black man doesn’t generate enough income to make his freedom worth preserving.”
WORKERS HAVE SPOKEN OUT
Black workers have been raising concerns for years about discrimination, lack of advancement, retaliation, and inequitable working conditions.
Members of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, an intergenerational group of current and former City employees and community members in Long Beach, have taken their concerns to City Council meetings, filed complaints through Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity systems, and sought support through union channels.
When internal systems failed to resolve these issues, some workers escalated their concerns through legal action, including a class action lawsuit alleging systemic racial discrimination across City departments.
Anthony Holmes is a City employee and the Founder of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness. He believes unity is the only way to fight a failing system. “Black workers have been raising concerns for years,” he said.
“We have gone through every channel available to us. We have spoken at City Council, filed complaints, and asked for support. When those systems failed, workers have even taken legal action. This coalition exists because workers deserve to be heard and protected.” –
THE CITY HAS ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE
The City of Long Beach has already studied and acknowledged these inequities through multiple formal actions, including:
The Framework for Reconciliation (2020)
The Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative
The City’s Equity Toolkit for City Leaders and Staff to guide hiring, promotion, and discipline practices
The 2025 Black Community Health Strengths and Needs Assessment
A February 10, 2026 City Council directive to conduct a workforce equity analysis
Despite these efforts, advocates like Melissa Morgan, Community Activist and former City Human Dignity Officer, say measurable outcomes have not improved.
“These experiences are not new. Many of us who worked for the City years ago went through the same things we are hearing today,” she said.
“The consistency of the data over time is what makes this so concerning. When disparities persist for more than a decade, it tells you the issue is not isolated. It is structural. And structural problems require structural solutions,” she continued.
“This campaign is about accountability,” she added. “The City of Long Beach has already studied these inequities, documented them, and acknowledged them publicly. What we are saying now is simple. Follow through. Black workers should not have to keep proving what the City already knows.”
CLEAR DEMANDS FOR ACTION
The petition calls on City leadership to take immediate, measurable action via 11 demands, including:
Delivering the 120-day workforce analysis and releasing transparent, publicly accessible data on hiring, pay, and promotions by race
Adopting and enforcing a comprehensive Workplace Equity Policy with clear definitions, timelines, and consequences
Establishing an independent Truth, Reconciliation, and Accountability Commission outside of internal City systems
Strengthening anti-retaliation protections and creating safe, independent reporting systems for workers
Investing in pathways for Black workers into higher-paying roles and leadership opportunities
Fully funding and supporting the City’s Office of Equity and the Health Department’s health equity work, including implementation of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative
The full list can be found at lbbwc.org/dignitynotdelay
Dana Nickerson works with Long Beach Black Worker Center and says the issues facing Black workers today are not new. “The data is clear and the stories are consistent. Black workers are overrepresented in lower-paying jobs and underrepresented in higher-paying roles.That is not a coincidence.”
Nickerson says systemic changes are needed to impact the lives of Black workers today and in the future. “It reflects how systems are operating,” she said. “What we are seeing now shapes what opportunities exist for the next generation.”
“Every worker deserves fair pay, safe conditions, and the opportunity to advance. When the basics of fairness and equity in a hiring system are not met, it is not just an individual problem. It is a systemic failure,” said Caprice McDonald, who retired from the City’s Civil Service department after 19 years working for the City. During that time, she brought forward allegations of racial discrimination within the workplace, stating that the then-Civil Service Director criticized the way Black people talk and told her she “should focus on being more ‘white’” if she wanted a promotion. The City of Long Beach later agreed to pay $701,000 to settle the case.
A COMMUNITY ISSUE, NOT JUST A WORKPLACE ISSUE
Organizers emphasize that these inequities impact the entire city.
Audrena Redmond, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Grassroots Long Beach, issues facing Black workers, are the same as issues found throughout society.
“What we are seeing in the City workforce is part of a larger pattern of anti-Blackness that shows up across systems,” she said “When workers are underpaid or treated unfairly, it impacts entire families and communities.”
EVIDENCE AND SOLUTIONS ARE CLEAR
Organizers will also release supporting materials, including a System of Inequity to Pathway to Equity framework and an Evidence and Solutions Brief, to outline both the structural causes of inequity and actionable steps the City can take.
A CALL TO THE COMMUNITY
Community members are encouraged to sign the petition, share it widely, and participate in ongoing efforts to hold the City accountable. Anyone can sign and share the petition at: lbbwc.org/dignitynotdelay
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Dignity, Not Delay: Justice for Black Workers in Long Beach campaign is grounded in the organizing of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, created by City Refuse Worker Anthony Holmes, and supported by community partners including the Long Beach Black Worker Center and Black Lives Matter Grassroots Long Beach. The campaign is part of broader efforts to advance worker justice, racial equity, and economic opportunity across the region. lbbwc.org/dignitynotdelay
Contacts:
Jackie Rae, Jackie Rae Media, 213-837-3572, jackie@jackieraetv.com
Anthony Holmes, Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, ant.holmes80@yahoo.com
Dana Nickerson, Long Beach Black Worker Center, 424-393-8446, dana@lbbwc.org
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