MEDIA ADVISORY FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2022

Open to the Public

Long Beach Forward Celebrates Nonprofit Incorporation at Rooted in Community Celebration

Progressive organization brings community together to celebrate its new independent nonprofit status and mission to create a healthy Long Beach with low-income communities of color by building community knowledge, leadership, and power.

(Long Beach, CA —April 29, 2022) Just two days after virtually hosting its 11th annual “Peoples State of the City Long Beach” event for over 200 Long Beach residents, Long Beach Forward will hold a free in-person community celebration, titled “Rooted in Community” on Saturday, April 30th at 4:00PM to recognize its new incorporation as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The event is open to the public and will be held at Trademark Brewing.

WHAT: “Rooted in Community” is a community celebration and fundraising event hosted by Long Beach Forward. The nonprofit seeks to gain monthly supporting donors and has a goal to raise $10,000 to fund general operating needs. The event will be held in person. Suggested donation of $25 will be accepted at the door. Donations are optional. Spanish language interpretation will be available. Attendees can RSVP at www.lbforward.org/rooted. *Those who cannot attend can donate to support the nonprofit at lbforward.org/donate and can also view the speaking program on Instagram and Facebook @movelbforward.

WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. The speaking program will begin at 5:00PM.*

WHERE: Trademark Brewing, 233 East Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA 90813. Street parking is available. The speaking program will be broadcast live at www.facebook.com/movelbforward and www.instagram.com/movelbforward.*

WHO: The event is open to the public and is also child and dog friendly. Long Beach Forward staff and local nonprofit organizations, local community and civic leaders, and other community partners will be in attendance. Expected program speakers include:

• James Suazo, Long Beach Forward Executive Director

• Melissa Morgan, Long Beach Forward Communications Director

• Romeo Hebron, Jr., Filipino Migrant Center Executive Director

• Maria Teresa Loeza, Long Beach Forward’s Best Start Central Long Beach volunteer

• Angelica Murrillo, Long Beach Forward’s Best Start Central Long Beach volunteer

• Long Beach Forward’s Healthy Long Beach Campaign Fellows

WHY: The “Rooted in Community” capstone event closes a month of celebration for Long Beach Forward, which officially established its independent nonprofit status on April 1, 2022. This nonprofit status now allows the organization to deepen its work to develop low income residents and communities of color into leaders and community organizers, in order to make a long lasting impact on growing health and equity needs that will continue to impact generations to come. The community-based organization was originally fiscally sponsored by the California Conference for Equality and Justice in 2010, transitioned to fiscal sponsorship with Community Partners in 2012, and as a independent organization has now built a culture of philanthropy and fundraising strategy into its workplace–a workplace that is grounded in values of: Fairness, Collaboration, Connection, Integrity, and Change.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Formed in 2010 as a community “hub” through the California Endowment’s “Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach” initiative, Long Beach Forward has developed into a go-to organization for movement building issues related to economic and racial inclusion and equity, language justice, parent engagement, organizing strategy, community leadership development, and other social change issues.By being intentionally inclusive, working in coalition spaces, and providing resources to partner organizations and volunteer-led groups, Long Beach Forward has been able to be at the forefront of Long Beach issues related to defunding the police, Sanctuary Long Beach, parent organizing, land use, language access, environmental justice and other community priorities. Its successes have been collaborative, pulling together a diverse community of people from various racial, religious, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, immigration status, and economic backgrounds.

HISTORICAL SUCCESSES: Of note, these collaborative successes have included: Long Beach Forward’s role in helping the community to win Measure N in November 2012–the ballot measure that raised the minimum wage for hotel workers in the city; helping pass Proposition 47 statewide with a large margin in Long Beach in 2014–the first major justice reform ballot measure in California that reclassified low-level felonies into misdemeanors and allowed people to change their records to access jobs, social services, and housing; leading door knocking, get out the vote efforts, and voter education to engage under-represented communities in the electoral process; providing over $425,000 in mini-grants and pass through funds over the past five years to budding and partner nonprofits, neighborhood organizations, and grassroots groups; convening residents and community-serving organizations to partner on intergenerational, interracial social justice campaigns; establishing the annual “People’s State of the City” and the “People’s Budget Long Beach”–initiatives for working people to lift up community priorities, move people into action, and a way to connect people in the community to one another to make change.

About Long Beach Forward, Inc.: Long Beach Forward is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that builds community knowledge, leadership, and power with low-income communities of color to drive social change and advance the vision that Long Beach is a place where race and income do not determine one’s future, and everyone is safe, connected, and healthy. Established in 2010, Long Beach Forward has been rooted in the community since its beginning, serving as the hub organization for Building Healthy Communities: Long Beach over a decade ago. Today, Long Beach Forward collaborates with multiple community partners to provide leadership development, strategy, communications, and convening support for justice-driven coalitions, collaborative groups, and campaigns. www.lbforward.org

Photos: www.lbforward.org/press – see Press Kit with photos & bios (event photos will be posted after event)

Social: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok: @movelbforward

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