Laguna Beach call for ethnic diversity in February under ‘We All Matter’ banner misses mark

An attempt to celebrate Black History Month in Laguna Beach within a wider context of ethnic diversity may have missed the mark, as some residents are complaining a citywide “We All Matter” campaign undermines the spirit of the observance.

Members of the Laguna Beach City Council in a Jan. 11 regular meeting unanimously declared February “Ethnic Diversity & Black History Month,” approving a program that included the Feb. 9 unveiling of a temporary art installation outside City Hall followed by an evening celebration.

The proposal was brought to the council by Laguna Beach resident Rebecca Washington-Lindsey, identified in a staff report as the founder of the local nonprofit “We All Matter.” Although Washington-Lindsey, who is Black, did not respond Friday to a request to speak for this story, she explained to council members her vision for the citywide observance.

Rebecca Washington-Lindsey, bottom right, speaks during a Jan. 11 virtual meeting of the Laguna Beach City Council.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

“We are going to celebrate ethnic diversity across the globe,” she said. “I chose not to call it Black History Month. My organization is We All Matter. So, everyone who is sitting here matters and it is inclusive.”

Signs went up in early February and banners were hung over Promenade on Forest in a two-week “We All Matter” campaign reading: “Join us in February as we celebrate Ethnic Diversity Month” with no mention of Black History Month.

That didn’t sit right with local resident Sally Sanders, a retired nurse inspired by the 2020 death of George Floyd while under custody of Minneapolis police to march in “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations and create a BLM Laguna Beach Facebook group to galvanize local activism.

“The town was outraged — we phone bombed City Hall,” said Sanders, who is white. “Then, they added ‘Black History Month’ onto it, like it was an afterthought.

Laguna Beach’s observation of Black History Month initially failed to mention Black history in favor of “Ethnic Diversity.” The signs were later changed, but some residents are angered by the misstep.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Nobody wants to look freakin’ racist, but that’s the message it sends,” she continued. “Laguna Beach does not want to be known for that. Orange County is already bad enough.”

People posted photos of the banners and signs on Twitter, encouraging others to call Laguna Beach City Hall or email City Clerk Anne Marie McKay directly. A petition on change.org urged Mayor Sue Kempf to remove the banner.

Laguna Beach spokeswoman Cassie Walder did not comment Friday, referring requests directly to Washington-Lindsey as the sponsor of the event and the banner. She did confirm that, since Tuesday, the city has received about five phone calls daily from residents wishing to share their concerns but didn’t indicate how many emails have come in.

Laguna Beach resident Christina Adams said she emailed the city clerk Thursday and still hasn’t heard back. She identified herself as a white ally of causes like Black Lives Matter.

“The message here is mixed, because We All Matter is way too reminiscent of All Lives Matter, which was used to drown out the voices of Black Lives Matter,” she said. “Black residents should be concerned — their voices are far more important than mine.”

Veltria Roman lives in Laguna Niguel but works for the Laguna Playhouse and considers the city a second home. She said Friday she was shocked to see city officials had declared February Ethnic Diversity Month.

“I was like, wait, what? What is that?” said Roman, who is Black. “I do not think ethnic diversity and celebrating our differences and learning about other cultures is ever a bad thing. [But] I think taking the focus off Black History Month is a terrible idea.”

Reluctant to mix her personal beliefs with her job, Roman sent an email to We All Matter asking for an open dialogue that might “make my heart hurt less when I am sitting in meetings in town and February is constantly being referred to as “Diversity Month.”

She received a short response with an invitation to help organize the month’s events. Now, with little more than one week remaining in February, Roman hopes for some kind of acknowledgement that mistakes were made.

“Ethnic diversity, and celebrating others, is a wonderful thing, but there was a misstep,” she said. “I just feel like there could still be a commitment for the future that could be really nice.”

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.