Former Councilmember James Wilson. Mayor Rex Richardson. Councilmember Suely Saro. Former Mayor Robert Garcia. What do these people have in common? They all made history in Long Beach politics, as the first Black councilmember, first Black mayor, first Cambodian councilmember and first openly gay mayor, respectively.
Beginning this Friday, these leaders, among many others over the past century, will be recognized for their place in the city’s ever-changing political landscape.
The Historical Society of Long Beach (HSLB) is unveiling its newest mobile exhibit on Friday: a deep dive into Long Beach’s political history through the lens of its Black, Latino, Indigenous and LGBTQ communities.
The traveling exhibit titled “Represented at Last! The Story of Long Beach’s Transformation in Politics and People” combines photos, interviews, historical accounts and biographies.
The exhibit will be unveiled at HSLB’s Bixby Knolls museum and travel to different parts of the city throughout the year, offering people a chance to learn about their local history. “Represented at Last!” will be made up of nine six-foot panels featuring local narratives, photos submitted from residents and over a year of research.
“I think that Long Beach is in a really interesting position right now,” said Julie Bartolotto, executive director for the Historical Society of Long Beach. “I hope that it piques their interest in how this place came to be like it is now and it piques their interest in learning more in general about local history.”
Bartolotto said she also hopes the exhibit will reach younger audiences and those living in areas of the city most overlooked such as North and West Long Beach, and various ethnic groups in the city. Many of the images used in their exhibits come from residents who have a rich history in Long Beach, so the more people know about HSLB’s archiving efforts the better chance they have of creating a complete picture of the city.
Local leaders in the city who tore down barriers have given interviews as part of “Represented at Last!” to help piece together the city’s history. These journeys gathered by a team of historians trace the political and economical growth of the often marginalized groups that make up much of Long Beach’s population.
Residents will not only learn about the waves of people who migrated to Long Beach in the 20th century, such as the Cambodian, Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ communities, but the struggles they faced to gain representation and equity. While Long Beach elected its first Black mayor Rex Richardson in 2022, it was roughly 50 years ago when it elected its first Black councilmember James (Jim) Wilson in 1970.
“It hasn’t really been that long since basically we went from a City Council that was all white men, or almost all white men, to a very diverse City Council with a majority of women and our first Black mayor,” Bartolotto said.
Many changes in the city were slow moving and hard fought, Bartolotto said. Through research and interviews, the team learned about initiatives that required repeated advocacy and faced opposition from those already in power. For instance, when the City Council made it a requirement that councilmembers must live in the district they are hoping to represent, that change had to be defended many times over in the following years.
“We found that in so many cases,” Bartolotto said. “It’s important for people to know that change doesn’t just happen, everybody works together and makes this change happen. There are many many attempts to make these changes, and even sometimes after those changes are enacted there are many challenges against them. We can see this happening at the local level, historically, and nationally as well.”
While doing research for this exhibit, Barlotto said she was struck by how much of Long Beach’s history is overlooked. The exhibit also delves into North Long Beach, the Black leaders that came from that part of the city, and the investments that went into growing the area.
The HSLB has been gathering stories and conducting research for “Represented at Last!” for over a year in order to gather these untold stories. Led by historian Victoria Roa, a group of student researchers helped to piece together the complex history of Long Beach politics and demographics.
“I hope that some of the major takeaways that the public gets from this exhibition is the power of local organizing, the importance of lifting up others and representation in local politics,” Roa said.
Interviews conducted over the past year will be posted on the HSLB’s website sometime this month, Bartolotto said.
Local leaders who will be highlighted through interviews in the exhibit include:
- Dee Andrew — former 6th district councilmember
- Al Austin — 8th district councilmember
- Steve Neal — Harbor Commissioner and former councilmember
- Rex Richardson — Mayor and former councilmember
- Suely Saro — 6th district councilmember
- Gerrie Schipske — former 4th district councilmember
- Roberto Uranga — 7th district councilmember
- Tonia Reyes-Uranga — former 7th district councilmember
Themes presented in the exhibit include Alliances Between Organizations, Challenging the Law, Changing Population and Changing Electorate and Common Organizations and Empowerment. Two of the panels will focus on a figure from local history with quotes and a short biography on the person.
View “Represented at Last!” at the following locations and dates:
- Friday, Sept. 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Historical Society of Long Beach at 4260 Atlantic Ave.
- Sept. 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. — opening reception at the Civic Center at 411 W Ocean Blvd.
- Sept. 10-16 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Civic Center lobby at 411 W Ocean Blvd.
“Represented at Last!” will be at the Historical Society of Long Beach headquarters in Bixby Knolls at 4260 Atlantic Ave. when it is not traveling. The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More dates and locations will be announced in the near future.