Long Beach takes next step in establishing Historically Black Cultural District – Press Telegram

City officials took the next step in establishing a Historically Black Cultural District in Central Long Beach.

During this week’s City Council meeting, councilmembers awarded a $300,000 contract to JAF Creative Solutions, LLC, for the development of a feasibility study for the cultural district for a period of two years. The study will assess the cultural, economic, historic, and infrastructural viability of the cultural district to foster cultural preservation, economic development, and community resilience, according to the staff report.

Long Beach — particularly Central Long Beach — has a rich legacy of Black history, culture and community building, according to city officials and community members.

“I wanted to lift up the significance of this important step forward in ensuring that the vision of creating a Historically Black Cultural District, how important this next step is, and I just want to thank our community leaders and members,” Sixth District Councilmember Suely Saro said during the meeting. “District 6, if you don’t know, is home to a deep, important Black history and culture, and preserving this history is an important way to collectively tell Long Beach history.”

In response to community-driven advocacy and increasing interest in cultural equity, the city intends to explore developing a designated cultural district that centers Black heritage and celebrates the contributions of Black residents, past and present, by creating a space where culture, history, and community pride are visibly celebrated and preserved.

Similar to ongoing efforts by the city to establish an LGBTQ+ Cultural District, Long Beach aims to develop the Historically Black Cultural District to strategically and thoughtfully invest in its Black community and commemorate its contributions, according to the staff report.

The Historically Black Cultural District presents an opportunity to uplift heritage, support Black-owned businesses and institutions, city officials said, and ensure future generations understand and feel connected to the legacy of Black excellence in Long Beach.

JAF Creative Solutions, LLC, will begin the study by meeting with city leaders and community stakeholders to clarify vision and conduct a survey of national cultural district comparables, according to the staff report. A historical and cultural inventory will be created, coupled with community engagement activities, such as stakeholder interviews and community outreach meetings.

A market and creative economic analysis will be conducted, and district boundaries and public realm strategies will be proposed, according to the staff report. The final stage before completion of the study will include a community demonstration project event to test proposed practices at a modest scale.

“As someone who can trace their family roots here in Long Beach back to 1939, I take great pride in us being able to have this on the agenda tonight to create the Historically Black Cultural District,” lifelong Long Beach resident Sharon Diggs-Jackson said during public comment. “Our history, Long Beach’s history, is so varied but there are just amazing stories, from music to all kinds of contributions.

“We are excited to get to work, to formalize the cultural district; our goal is to have it up and running for 2028,” Diggs-Jackson added. “We want it to be a destination spot for when people come to Long Beach, we want them to spend a lot of time in and around Pacific Coast Highway and Martin Luther King and Anaheim, so we are ready to work and we thank you for the support.”

The City Council approved the contract during its Tuesday, Sept. 15, meeting with an 8-0 vote, with Councilmember Cindy Allen absent.

The study will be funded through the Elevate ‘28 Infrastructure Investment Plan with Measure A funds currently allocated in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department, according to the staff report.

“We know that the cradle of the history of the African American experience in Long Beach is in the Sixth District,” Eighth District Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk said. “While the community lives all throughout the city and we hope that that will also be celebrated, we know that the culture, the churches, the food, the small businesses that really made Black Long Beach were in the Sixth District.

“I’m excited about this planning tool that we’re going to be using to make sure that we anchor that history when we are in a point, and in a place, and in a country where some would say we should erase such history,” Thrash-Ntuk added. “I’m very proud that Long Beach is looking to make sure that Black permanence lives within our city.”