Altadena, a Small City with a Big History and a Huge Heart

The Los Angeles wildfires have devastated communities in LA that will take years to rebuild. The Eaton Fire set ablaze just after the Palisades Fire, reaching over 14,000 acres in the town of Altadena, just north of Pasadena. Decades ago, when the illegal and discriminatory practice of redlining was widespread, parts of Altadena were some of the first neighborhoods where Black families were able to buy homes. As a result, generations of Black families planted roots there. Among its notable Black residents have been actor Sidney Poitier, abolitionist Ellen Garrison Jackson Clark, who spent her final years in the area and is buried at Altadena’s Mountain View Cemetery along with science-fiction author Octavia Butler and political activist Eldridge Cleaver.

As Black professionals and working-class families found affordable homes in Altadena, their numbers rose from just under 4% to 43%. The communities that were built there were then passed down generationally, with homes growing in value over the years. Prior to the fires, Altadena remained one of Southern California’s most diverse, with a Black population just over 20% and a home ownership rate of more than 75%.

Now with the fire at 73% containment, officials have completed inspections for 90% of the structures in the fire area, and so far nearly 9,000 structures have been reported destroyed, with nearly 12,000 more threatened. Many fear that the community will be forced to move away, losing what made Altadena so special. With the cost to rebuild, as well as the unknown of what can be rebuilt, there are so many unknowns for so many families that have called Altadena home for generations. 

We spoke with Blair Imani, host of the popular web series Smarter in Seconds, who comes from a family with deep and long-lasting ties to Altadena. Her great-grandfather made his way there after escaping Jim Crow racism in Arkansas, and since then, Altadena has held a special place in her family's story.

She shared with us, “The fires completely destroyed four of our family’s homes. There may be more, but we’re still accessing the damage. Both sides of my family live all across Altadena and Pasadena. Since the first of the evacuations, I've taken on helping with my sister's 5 children. It's an honor, though it's been a massive adjustment since I didn't have children before. I’m learning a lot about myself and my parenting style. Altadena is deeply meaningful as a center of Black history, art, and culture. We will rebuild, but it won’t be quick, and it won’t be easy.”

Blair’s story is much like so many others right now–dealing with this day by day, but rising above and doing the best with what they have. And like so many in Altadena, committed to rebuilding and helping the city preserve what always has made it great–the people and the community.