{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "Long Beach Organizer",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/users/long-beach-organizer/profile",
"title": "✊🏾 Demand Justice for Black Workers in Long Beach",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/748/184/normal/Dignity_not_delay_(1).png",
"description": "Join me in signing this petition, it's about more than jobs. It is about dignity, safety, and basic civil rights at a time when hate and discrimination are becoming more visible across this country. In Long Beach, the numbers tell a clear story. Black workers make up about 11.6% of the City workforce, yet they are overrepresented in the lowest-paying jobs and make up only about 6% of higher salary positions. That means Black workers are represented at roughly half of what would be expected in higher-paying roles. Even when Black workers are in the workforce, they are not moving through it at the same rate. Across the city, 35% of Black residents are working multiple jobs just to survive, and Black men live 10 years less than white men. This is not just about work. This is about life outcomes. What is happening to Black workers in Long Beach is not separate from what is happening across the U.S. The truth is, anti-Blackness is so deeply rooted in our society that the struggles of Black people have become normalized. Inequity, discrimination, and harm are often expected, overlooked, or dismissed. Black workers are not staying silent. They have been raising concerns through every available channel. Workers have spoken publicly at City Council meetings, describing unsafe conditions, unfair pay, and discrimination inside City departments. They have filed complaints with Human Resources and the Equal Employment Opportunity Office, often with little to no meaningful resolution. They have sought support from their unions, only to report that their concerns are not always taken seriously or are deprioritized. And when internal systems failed to protect them, workers took the extraordinary step of filing a class action lawsuit against the City, alleging systemic racial discrimination, retaliation, and unequal treatment. The fact that workers have had to escalate from internal complaints to public testimony to legal action is not just significant. It is evidence that the systems meant to protect them are not working. We invite everyone who feels outrage about injustice, whether it is ICE violence, state-sanctioned harm, or the treatment of any marginalized community, to recognize that these issues are connected. When systems fail one group, they create conditions that harm many. Standing up for Black workers is part of a broader fight for justice and human dignity for all. The City already knows there is a problem. It has studied it, documented it, and acknowledged it publicly. The City commissioned the Black Community Health Strengths and Needs Assessment, which identified widespread anti-Black discrimination and its impact on health, housing, and economic stability. It adopted the Framework for Reconciliation and launched the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative with explicit goals to eliminate systemic racism in City government. It created an Equity Toolkit to guide fair hiring, promotion, and discipline practices. And on February 10, 2026, City Council members voted to direct a workforce analysis, identify employment deserts, and evaluate whether the City’s own hiring systems are contributing to inequity. The issue is not awareness. The issue is follow-through and accountability. Your signature adds to a growing movement demanding that the City deliver on the commitments it has already made. The more people who stand up, the harder it becomes to ignore. This is a moment to choose where you stand. Stand with Black workers. Stand for fairness. Add your name and be part of the change.",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/justiceforblackcityoflongbeachworkers"
}