LONG BEACH : Gray Panthers Relocates Its Regional Offices
The Gray Panthers of Greater Los Angeles Inc., an organization that promotes intergenerational understanding and combats age discrimination, has moved its regional headquarters to Long Beach.
The city’s ethnic, age and economic differences, along with its proximity to the South Bay and Orange County, were key to the decision to relocate from Studio City, said Cherie A. Lebrun, the regional president.
The new office oversees chapters in Orange, Torrance, Santa Monica, Studio City, Long Beach and San Diego.
The Washington-based nonprofit group accepts members of all ages and is discussing a name change to Panthers International to offset its seniors-only image, Lebrun said.
At 44, Lebrun is the youngest-ever Los Angeles regional president. She was elected to the post in 1993.
The panthers were founded by Maggie Kuhn, now 89, in 1970 to protest the Vietnam War and to lobby against age discrimination as well as sexism and racism. There are about 2,500 Gray Panthers in Southern California and 40,000 nationwide, said Todd E. Gossert, national membership coordinator.
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