For Anthony Holmes, these are more than numbers. It speaks to the last 12 years of his life working within the City\u2019s refuse collection services. Over the last few years he has filed formal complaints through human resources alleging discrimination, waited through numerous internal investigations, spoken about his experience at city council meetings and during it all, has faced retaliation at his workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Founder of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, Anthony Holmes, is frustrated with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson after his timer for public comment began before he started speaking at the Long Beach City Council meeting on May 5, 2026. Holmes ceded his time and walked out irritated as supporters yelled, \u201cProtect Black workers.\u201d (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n
Last year, he founded the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness to empower others experiencing similar circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system is a complete failure,\u201d Holmes said of Long Beach\u2019s internal reporting systems. \u201cIt\u2019s there just to be there.\u201d He also points to leadership \u2014 councilmembers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Department and Mayor Rex Richardson, specifically \u2014 for allowing these ineffective systems to thrive with no consequence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In early April, the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, supported by the Long Beach Black Workers Center and Black Lives Matter Grassroots Long Beach, announced the Dignity, Not Delay: Justice for Black Workers in Long Beach campaign. The goal is to advance racial equity and economic opportunity for Black workers by dismantling the systemic racist practices they say has allowed these disparities to continue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The issue is far-reaching, they say, from hiring and pay to promotions and everyday workplace conditions. As are their solutions, which include establishing an independent reporting system and accountability commission, creating pathways to promote Black workers, strengthening anti-retalition protections and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The City of Long Beach has taken multiple actions that are similar to these demands, such as the Framework for Reconciliation<\/a>, the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative<\/a> and the Equity Toolkit for City Leaders and Staff<\/a>, all passed in 2020 following national unrest due to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. Most recently, the city council requested a workforce analysis on Feb. 10, which is expected to become public in early June. The City\u2019s most recently available Workforce Diversity Report<\/a> was published in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Black community leaders say these policies have created empty promises and resulted in very little change.\u00a0<\/p>\n A System that Fails its Black Employees<\/p>\n When the Long Beach chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in the 1940s, discriminatory practices in employment was one of their first targets they tried to address.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly a century later, Black workers are still fighting the same fight in Long Beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Long Beach\u2019s first-ever Black Community Health Needs Assessment<\/a> published last year, 35% of respondents said they had to work multiple jobs to afford living in the city. Black men were also found to live on average 10 years less than white men in Long Beach. At the time, Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk called it the \u201cparadox of economic opportunity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis suggests that employment alone is not a sufficient cure for poverty and health disparities in our city,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that health equity is also tied to economic equity and the quality of the job matters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lack of consistency has brought us together,\u201d said Dr. Lydia Hollie, who co-authored the 2013 \u201cState of Black Long Beach: A Call to Action<\/a>\u201d with Dr. Alex Norman. The report was funded by the California Endowment\u2019s Building Healthy Communities Initiative, and offered a snapshot of the Black experience in Long Beach<\/a>, from infant mortality rates, unemployment rates, graduation rates, life expectancy and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n The \u201cState of Black Long Beach\u201d found that Black City government workers were often afraid to speak up at work in fear of repercussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought the City would look at it and see where to improve and that didn\u2019t happen,\u201d Hollie said.<\/p>\n Black workers have seen some success in recent years suing the City of Long Beach for discrimination in the workplace. Caprice McDonald worked in the Civic Service Department and within the City of Long Beach for 19 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n She brought forward allegations of racial discrimination during her time working in that department, stating the former director criticized the way Black people talk and told her she \u201cshould focus on being more \u2018white\u2019\u201d if she wanted a promotion. The City of Long Beach later agreed to pay $701,000 to settle the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery 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.<\/p>\n It is a systemic failure,\u201d McDonald said in the Dignity, Not Delay press release.<\/p>\n Holmes said he began experiencing discrimination in the Public Works Department in 2017, when his supervisor began telling him to clean up entire alleys not regularly a part of his route. According to Holmes, he was the only worker being asked to do so, even though this type of work falls under the Long Beach Go app services. He was also told multiple times to clean up items that his coworkers had left behind for weeks in a row.\u00a0<\/p>\n When he brought this to his superintendent\u2019s attention, Holmes was told to \u201cjust do what he [his supervisor] said.\u201d He began asking his coworkers if they were being told to do the same tasks, but they were not. Afterwards, Holmes then began receiving derogatory marks on his evaluations he said were unjustified, such as not knowing how to use a tablet that wasn\u2019t installed in his truck, and being told to be more efficient on his routes even though he completed them everyday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Holmes has filed multiple discrimination complaints with Long Beach\u2019s Equal Employment Opportunity Office<\/a> (EEO), and said each report returned months later marked as \u201cunsubstantiated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n After trying and failing through the City\u2019s internal systems multiple times, Holmes began going down to city council meetings a couple of years ago to talk about the treatment he\u2019s facing. He said this hasn\u2019t helped either. What it has done though, is encourage other Black workers from other City departments to reach out to Holmes, both offering and needing support.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how they get my number,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cThey just call me and let me know what\u2019s going on. I try to guide them. I try to encourage them. But I also have to keep it real with them. Like when they file a complaint with the EEO. I just let them know off top that the EEO is not going to do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n He tells workers to file the complaints anyway in order to make a paper trail as soon as possible, knowing their case will likely be unsubstantiated. It will help in court, if it gets to that, he tells them.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard the stories, and I haven\u2019t heard successes. And that\u2019s not because the individuals aren\u2019t doing what they can to speak up for their own rights,\u201d said Dana Nickerson, who has worked at the nonprofit Long Beach Black Worker Center<\/a> since 2023. Her job consists of doing intakes on individuals who are facing discrimination in their workplace and need support on how to fight back.\u00a0<\/p>\n One aspect both Holmes and Nickerson point to is the lack of accountability from the EEO Office, which handles complaints from workers through their respective department.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very concerning to me that our Equal Employment Opportunity department is a City department, governed by the City, because how could it really be effective?\u201d Nickerson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Demands of Dignity, Not Delay<\/p>\n Community leaders with the Dignity, Not Delay campaign plan to continue publicly advocating for better treatment of Black workers. Most recently, they spoke at the Equity and Human Relations Commission on May 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Dignity, Not Delay campaign calls for the City of Long Beach to:<\/p>\n Deliver a 120-day workforce analysis and release transparent, public data on hiring, pay, discipline, reclassification and promotions by race.\u00a0<\/p>\n Release ongoing workforce data through transparent, publicly accessible reporting so progress can be tracked over time<\/p>\n Adopt and enforce a Workplace Equity Policy that clearly defines discrimination, anti-Blackness, harassment and retaliation, with required timelines and consequences for violations<\/p>\n Establish an independent Truth, Reconciliation and Accountability Commission separate from HR, EEO and internal City systems to investigate systemic inequities, document findings and monitor implementation<\/p>\n Reform hiring, classification and promotion systems to eliminate documented barriers, including biased exams, informal selection practices, and denial of out-of-class compensation<\/p>\n Conduct wage equity audits across all departments and implement corrective actions<\/p>\n Strengthen anti-retaliation protections and create safe, independent reporting systems for workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Strengthen protections for workers by creating independent, accessible and trauma-informed complaint systems, with clear anti-retaliation safeguards and public accountability for outcomes<\/p>\n Invest in Black worker advancement through targeted hiring, leadership development, career pathways and partnerships with community-based organizations<\/p>\n Fully fund and support the City\u2019s Office of Equity and the Health Department\u2019s health equity work, including the implementation of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative<\/p>\n Require union representatives to uphold their responsibility to advocate for workers\u2019 rights and ensure equitable representation in addressing complaints and workplace conditions<\/p>\n What You Can Do<\/p>\n The Dignity, Not Delay campaign is currently gathering signatures as a sign of support for Black workers. You can sign the petition here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Black workers dealing with discrimination of any kind in their workplace can get support to organize from the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, or can join the coalition to support other Black workers. Learn more about the coalition at @coalitionagainstantiblack<\/a> on Instagram or by emailing jackie@jackieraetv.com<\/a> or ant.holmes80@yahoo.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Black Worker Center can assist with filing a claim, education on workplace rights as well as other resources<\/a>. You can also get in touch with the National Black Worker Center\u2019s Working While Black hotline by texting BLACK to 628292.\u00a0<\/p>\n Samantha is an award-winning journalist, sports fanatic and mother. She\u2019s worked for the Signal Tribune for over three years and is passionate about covering environmental news, small businesses, mutual aid efforts and resources. <\/p>\n More Posts: <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chacko_Long_Beach_City_Hall_1-5.jpg\")
Krystal Allen, a 24-year Long Beach City employee, speaks to the Long Beach City Council about how over the last three months, she\u2019s lost 10 pounds due to work stress as well as the lack of a work-life balance and the grievances she\u2019s been given on May 5, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune) <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chacko_Long_Beach_City_Hall_1-11.jpg\")
Pastor of the Greater Harvest Church, Gerald Johnson, speaks just outside the Long Beach City Hall doors after Anthony Holmes frustratedly walked off during his public comment on May 5, 2026. Pastor Johnson spoke words of encouragement to Holmes and prayed over everyone. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chacko_Long_Beach_City_Hall_1-17.jpg\")
Founder of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness, Anthony Holmes, alongside members of the community pose outside of the Long Beach City Hall after a few residents gave their public comments during the Long Beach City Council meeting on May 5, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Chacko_Long_Beach_City_Hall_1-6.jpg\")
Bianca Carrillo, an organizer for PSL Long Beach, helps hold signs saying, \u201cProtect Black workers\u201d as Anthony Holmes, founder of the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness spoke to the Long Beach City Council on May 5, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Samantha](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/StaffPhotos-4-e1762489987828.jpg\")
Samantha DiazManaging Editor<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778912719_390_IMG_1550.jpg\")
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