The LGBTQ Center of Long Beach announced the addition of three new numbers to the board of directors on Monday, Dec.7 in a press release.
Romeo Garcia, Long Beach business owner, Alishia Holmes-Watson, Long Beach resident, and Victor Ibarra, Wilmington native, will be joining the board of directors. All three new members have experience working with underserved populations.
“The Executive Committee recognized the need and opportunity for more diversity on the board,” Board president Stella Ursua said in the press release. “Each of these new members have proven track records in the Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx and African American communities of the greater Long Beach area. They will bring a fresh perspective to the growth of The Center.”
Chef Romeo Garcia is the owner of small business Romeo Chocolates, which was founded in 2014 through pop-up shops. Romeo chocolates now counts with a brick-and-mortar store in Downtown Long Beach, which opened in 2017. Garcia serves on the Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and the Culinary Advisory Board for Long Beach City College.
Garcia, who has worked in human rights community organizing, cofounded a Gay Men’s Community Organizing Project, multiple Get out the Vote initiatives and the Liwanag Cultural Center, and Pilipino Youth Coalition. Additionally, Garcia is a grant-writer for community development and student services, the press release said as well as directing higher education programs for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities for over 12 years at community colleges and universities locally.
Alishia Holmes-Watson, a former civil engineering student of the historically Black university Florida A & M University, moved to Long Beach in 2014 and has since served in non-profits in different capacities. She is a board member with the Downtown Long Beach Alliance and chairperson of their Marketing and Communications committee, the press release said. Holmes-Watson was also an ambassador to the LA chapter of an organization that “connects and uplifts minority women,” No Black Girl Left Behind. The organization also creates resources that encourage leadership in local communities and facilitates education on Black culture. Holmes-Watson pushes for diverse representation and empowering the marginalized. She is currently continuing her education in Business Management with a focus on entrepreneurship. She has also been a Flight Attendant for 11 years.
Victor Ibarra was born and raised in Wilmington and today is a Senior Field Representative for Democratic Caucus Chairman Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson of the 64th District. The press release said that Ibarra identifies as a First-Generation Queer Latino who is “passionate about addressing the lack of political involvement and underrepresentation in his community.” Ibarra graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in political science and has served four years as a delegate to the California Democratic Party. Ibarra is also an alumnus of the 2018 Equality California Leadership Academy class. Among his distinctions are being recognized by the State Senate with an “Extraordinary Citizen” award and by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce as “Man of the Year.” Currently, Ibarra serves on the board of directors for EXP, a non-profit organization whose goal is to bridge industry and high schools together to build “tomorrow’s workforce from underserved Southern California communities.”
“We are thrilled that The Center’s board reflects the diverse backgrounds of our clients and partners,” added Ursua in the press release. “Together we continue to work towards creating fully affirming communities where all LGBTQ people live in health, wellness, safety, and prosperity.”
The LGBTQ Center Long Beach supports over 25,000 people a year through youth services, senior services, counseling, legal services, domestic violence support, trans health programs, HIV and STI testing, and over 20 weekly support groups. Because of the pandemic, many of the services are being offered online. Additionally, drive-up and walk-up HIV/STI testing is now available by appointment Monday-Friday in a private area of the parking lot behind The Center located at 2017 E. 4th Street in the city of Long Beach.
You can visit the LGBTQ Center Long Beach’s website here or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CenterLB.
Porter Gilbert who was a member The Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC) in Long Beach and the head of The LGBTQ Center in Long Beach exposed the The Citizen Police Complaint Commission (CPCC) as being a farce for not really doing anything and then he was fired from his job at the Center Long Beach.
That proves that the same discrimination towards LGBTQ people still goes on after 100 years of the Long Beach Police and Christians groups combined to form a cult that targets gays in Long Beach California and uses their powers for evil. It is time to expose these evil people who are criminals and continue to target gays in Long Beach just because gays are gay and expose them for who and what they are, criminal cult members who are police and members of Christian churches in Long Beach who hate and destroy gays in Long Beach any way they can.