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About

Today, the FORTHE editorial collective is made up of eight members and various contributors, but it started out of a conversation between journalist Kevin Flores and poet James Andrew Carroll, who shared a desire to create a publication that would be capable of both watchdog journalism and providing a platform for local artists.

The idea resonated deeply with three local creators: community ambassador and editor Erin Foley, researcher Marc Cid, and group facilitator and organizer Nancy Lynee Woo, who jumped on board to help turn Kevin and Andrew’s visions into solid practice. In mid-2017, as FORTHE continued to evolve, another poet, Sheila Sadr, also joined the core staff.

In the wake of weeklies and local newspapers being bought out by investment firms and corporate interests, the group set out to create the framework for a more community-supported, diversely-staffed, ad-free, and culturally-engaged publication.

The FORTHE website launched in early 2018 and the online magazine continues to work toward its goal of becoming a fully-fledged multimedia outlet and local arts journal. Currently staffed by a rag-tag team of dedicated volunteers, the publication continues to grow daily.

If you would like to learn more about our vision, and would like to support it with a donation, head over to our Patreon page.

FORTHE reporters are required to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics when conducting work for this publication.

Editorial Independence Policy
Disclosure of Donors Giving $1,000 or More a Year
Equity Statement

Erin Foley

Editor

Erin moved to Long Beach from Virginia in 2006 and quickly fell in love with it and its prevalence of eclectic, independent artists, organizers, and entrepreneurs (#erinthefangirl). In her spare time Erin cohosts the LB GRRRL Collective’s Feminist/Queer Open Mic, writes and performs spoken word poetry, is studying to be an herbalist, and enjoys howling at the moon. Erin brings two decades of studying the intersectional politics of race, class, and gender, and mass movement building with her (VCU, ’05). Erin is proud to be a cofounder of FORTHE and serves as community liaison in addition to contributing as a writer and editor.

Email icon erin@forthe.org

Kevin Flores

Editor/Investigative Reporter

Kevin is a founding editor and investigative reporter at FORTHE.org. He reports on police, housing, and campaign finance in Long Beach. Since the inception of the not-for-profit media platform, he has broken some of the most important local stories. Kevin holds a graduate degree from Columbia University and is a recipient of the prestigious Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in economics and business journalism. In 2019, Kevin produced and directed the short documentary series “Our Home Too,” which captured both the pain and resilience of Long Beach renters facing displacement as the city rapidly gentrified. He is a firm believer that the press can only carry out its most important mandate—to hold power to account—when it is freed from the clutches of the wealthy and is a strong advocate for journalist-run cooperatives.

Email icon kevin@forthe.org

Esther Kang

Editor

Esther is a queer Korean-American musician and multimedia journalist whose work has appeared in a number of publications locally and abroad. Committed to helping share the stories of marginalized communities, their work has included a six-part series on immigrant street vendors in South LA and an in-depth piece about the South Bay’s LGBTQ community, for which they received a first place honor in feature writing from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s Southern California chapter. Past and current music projects include Koibito, King Kang, Seek the Freek, and their solo project onu blu.

Email icon esther@forthe.org

James Andrew Carroll

Editor

Andrew is a literary and cultural critic, musician, and poet living in Long Beach’s 2nd District. His early activism was featured in the 2010 documentary, Libertopia, and he spent eight interesting days in a New Hampshire jail after a peaceful 2009 protest of the Drug War led to his arrest. At the age of 20, Carroll ran a failed campaign for the New Hampshire State House. Broken-hearted, he left politics for seven years. He is most proud during this hiatus to have played a small but earnest role in the independent Turkish film, Yolculuk, and to have penned some lovely sonnets. He helped establish FORTHE in 2017.

Email icon andrew@forthe.org

Greg Diaz

Contributing Editor

Greg is an experienced designer, editor and writer for both print and online publications. A journalism graduate at California State University, Long Beach, Greg was also the former editor-in-chief of the Daily 49er at CSULB and The Hornet at Fullerton College. He is currently the designer for the Daily Pilot in Orange County.

Email icon greg@forthe.org

Santiago Charboneau

Photo Editor

Santiago is an award-winning photographer/cinematographer who can be most often found hiding his face behind a camera or twisting filter knobs on antique synthesizers. He has a passion for exploring the human experience through photography. He became a contributor to FORTHE in 2019, and then became a full-fledged member in 2020.

Brandie Davison

Curator

Brandie Davison was born and raised in Long Beach, California. She is the Founder of ART REALM Collective, a platform for emerging artists prioritizing POC, has served as Compound Long Beach’s Curatorial Assistant, and is currently a member of TFA’s Young Curators Program Cohort.