The destruction caused by the Eaton fire in Los Angeles County, which It has destroyed more than 14,117 hectares throughout the region in the past week, Altadena’s rich and diverse history of status, success and resilience of local communities of color is being threatened.
The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy, a non-profit organization founded by indigenous groups who have called the present-day Los Angeles Basin their home for thousands of years, was given back some of their land at the base of Altadena’s San Gabriel Range in 2022. However , the Eaton Fire has significantly damaged part of the newly acquired land.
The organization recognizes that traditional ecological knowledge has “nourished the land” and helped protect it, with plans to continue to restore the land with native plants and practices.
“Our immediate focus is on assessing the full extent of the damage, supporting our residents and working with local partners to ensure community recovery,” the organization said in a statement. “We will provide continuous updates as we work to heal and rebuild the Conservancy and surrounding areas.”
Los Angeles County is battling wildfires across 45 square miles of the densely populated county, damaging thousands of structures, displacing thousands of residents and leaving at least 25 dead.
The destruction has also affected the progress of other communities of color in the region that settled in Altadena, which is now 41% white, 27% Hispanic, 18% black and 17% multiracial.
The house of Kim and Kendall Jones, whose family has lived in Altadena for a long time, has burned down.
Courtesy of The Jones Family
In the 1960s, a combination of urban renewal, white flight and political movements of the time caused rapid demographic changes in the Altadena region, according to Altadena Heritage.
The end of the widespread practices of red discrimination made Altadena a place where black, Hispanic and indigenous residents looking for a home could find a bargain.
The town was home to many iconic black people, including Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win an Oscar, prominent author Octavia Butler, artist Charles White, abolitionist Ellen Garrison Jackson Clark, and others.
Altadena Historical Society President Veronica Jones says Altadena “offered more opportunities than the city (Pasadena) offered to children of color at the time.”
Many of those who lost their homes in the fire belong to families that have been in Altadena for generations.
One of those residents is Kim Jones. For Jones, Altadena has been his family home for four generations; he says his family moved to Altadena in the 60s due to racism and segregation in the South.
Jones says that talking about the heartbreak of losing everything is an attempt to be a “family historian” now that the material memories are gone.
Kim Jones worries that her family’s neighborhood will gentrify after the fires.
Courtesy of The Jones Family
He said his grandmother, who owned a house on Lincoln Avenue, was one of the first black families in the neighborhood.
Kendall Jones, Kim’s son, lost memories of his father, who died two years ago, in the fire.
“Part of me is devastated that all of that is gone and the memories of him, but at the same time, I’m hopeful that my family can rebuild and get through this, because no, we’re still alive and nobody’s hurt, and that’s it.” most importantly,” he told ABC News.
Kim Jones said her 52-year-old memories were in the house – “I have pictures of my childhood. Kendall has pictures. My mother had a little dresser and her grandmother’s dishes. Jewelry. I had pictures of my grandmother, who lived. with them before she died.”
Earnestine Brown-Turner also lost her home in the fire. He evacuated to his daughter’s Los Angeles home, which is in an evacuation warning zone. When Brown-Turner was packing to evacuate, she took little with her and hoped to make it home safely.
When she and her family returned, everything was gone: “We still had hope as we drove up the neighborhood, but there was no neighborhood left,” Imani Brown-Turner said.
The house of Kim and Kendall Jones, whose family has lived in Altadena for a long time, has burned down.
Courtesy of The Jones Family
The Brown-Turner family had mementos of enslaved family members, including quilts and photographs. All of them are gone.
As the residents process the grief of losing everything they had, worries about the future hang heavy over their heads. The region already showed signs of gentrification before the devastating fire.
Veronica Jones noted that Altadena homes are currently selling for great prices as Altadena becomes a desirable area for new residents at the base of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains.
“The area is starting to come back to life,” said Kim Jones. “We want to come back. We want to come back and rebuild.”
As families prepare to rebuild their homes from scratch, he fears some residents will be prey to a quick sale of their land: “But there’s no quick sale. There’s no quick sale because California is expensive to live in. I want my family home. Be a family for the next generation and the generations after that.” – house”.
