Black Californians need a meaningful voice in healthcare decisions because we continue to experience racial bias, unequal treatment, and poorer health outcomes. Community leadership like LAM, ensures that healthcare systems build trust, respect lived experience, and deliver care that reflects the real needs of Black families. formed in 2022, Meet the Black Doctors is a California health equity initiative connecting Black communities with trusted Black physicians, clinicians, and healthcare professionals. Through community conversations, culturally responsive health education, video interviews, clinical partnerships, and patient advocacy training, the organization helps individuals better understand their health, communicate with providers, and make informed healthcare decisions. Meet the Black Doctors also elevates the experiences of Black medical professionals and addresses racial bias that can affect care, trust, and patient safety. Bringing medical expertise directly into the community, Meet the Black Doctors is building trust, increasing representation, and helping reduce healthcare disparities among Black Californians.

LAM’s LA vs Hate Project, led by Senior Organizer Najee Ali, educates residents about hate, encourages safe reporting, and brings faith leaders, businesses, and community members together to respond to racial harm through advocacy and collective action. Following a reported incident involving alleged anti-Black language, Ali helped turn community concern into economic action by launching the Black Breakfast Club. The initiative brings residents together to dine, connect, and intentionally spend their dollars at Black-owned breakfast businesses throughout Los Angeles. We are in our third year of this community economic development program.

The Community Response System of South Los Angeles formed in COVID-19 in March 2020, is a project of LAMetro Churches and it was formed by 25 Los Angeles County community and faith based organizations to to provide planning, health insurance billing, manage access to health services, behavioral health services, medical care for more than 30,000 low-income Los Angeles County residents. CRSSLA is a Black-led, community-anchored network that brings residents, faith institutions, nonprofits, healthcare providers, managed care plans, and public agencies together to improve health and human services. During its 30-month journey, CRSSLA established a shared governance structure, gathered health and service priorities from nearly 600 residents, and united 25 community organizations with five managed care plans to build a stronger and more accountable system of care.

Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches serves as Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles’ Gym Manager at Nickerson Gardens Gym, located at 11251 Compton Avenue in Watts. Since 2022, LAM leads the day to day operations of the facility as a safe, family-centered community sports hub where youth ages 5 to 24 years old and parents, residents can access sports, education, health, and enrichment programs. Its three-sport model includes Dodgers Dreamteam baseball and softball, Lakers supported basketball, and Rams youth football. More than 300 young people participate monthly while learning teamwork, discipline, leadership, and values-based decision-making. LAM’s original scope focused on developing and activating sports facilities, but the work grew into a local hiring and neighborhood development program. Youth receive mentoring, tutoring, homework assistance, college readiness, STEM learning, and career exposure. Monthly resource fairs connect families with health plans, screenings, food assistance, libraries, schools, job/workforce development, entrepreneurship training and community organizations. Through the joint LAM and HACLA Partner Program, the gym brings organizations together to serve residents, strengthen Black and Latino relationships, and create a trusted safe haven from violence and gang activity.