CORRECTION: A previous version of the story misspelled Ennette Morton’s last name as “Morten.” It also referred to Uduak-Joe Ntuk as an honorary member of the Board of Trustees rather than a member of LBCC’s Board of Trustees. An earlier version failed to include that Long Beach City Councilwoman Tunua Thrash-Ntuk was a panelist.
Long Beach City College’s Black Student Success Center hosted its first Black Elected Officials Panel gathering prominent Black leaders in Long Beach for a conversation about leadership, racial equity, and overcoming today’s current challenges in our community on Feb. 26.
Key speakers included Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, District 9 Council Member Joni Ricks-Oddie, Long Beach Unified School District Board Member Erik Miller, LBCC Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk, Long Beach City Councilwoman Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, LBCC Trustee Ennette Morton, led in conversation by LBCC’s Executive Director of Public Affairs and Marketing, Carl Kemp.
The event was hosted by Black Student Success Coordinator, Angela Fowlkes and the LBCC Black Student Success Center.
The speakers had time to share their personal background and journeys in leadership as well as their motivation for their work in Long Beach and plans for the future.
The speakers held a panel for students to get answers for questions they may have had.
The conversation focused on the role of Black change-makers in both the local community and the nation, as well as ways Black students and people of color can advocate for their advancement while partnering with other groups to address collective issues.
“We are a model in Long Beach…in areas where Black representation is shrinking based on demographics, we are changing systems to add more representation…in our city,” said Mayor Rex Richardson.
There was some humor shared among the panelists, but the overall tone of the event was geared to motivate LBCC Black students to walk in power and take the future of the community into their own hands.
“Don’t try to manage the moment. Be bold, be loud, be consistent,” said Councilmember Joni Ricks-Oddie.
A statement was made on the need for support while rising in leadership.
“We don’t always have to agree, but you always have our support. To have that support in doing something that has been done for the first time has been a really, really important component in my success,” said Erik Miller.
The current challenges facing LBUSD students were also addressed with plans to implement more social workers and psychologists.
After the panel, the speakers made it known that job openings for interested students were available with the city.
The audience was encouraged to exchange information with the officials and to continue the work for equity and change in Long Beach.
“You want me to hook you up, but you better be hook-up-able,” joked Uduak-Joe Ntuk, referencing the audience’s ability to take the opportunities that were being offered.
The event ended with introductions and one-on-one conversations between the speakers and audience members as they prepared for further events to happen throughout the city.