A certain segment of media and American culture have callously dismissed the wildfire disaster gripping Los Angeles as a “rich person problem.” We won’t waste space dignifying that assessment with a nuanced retort other than to emphasize that 25 lives have been lost so far, and the fires weren’t checking bank account balances. At the time of writing, over 12,000 structures have been decimated across 60 square miles of the county, forcing over 180,000 residents to evacuate. Altadena’s historic Black community, comprised primarily of working-class citizens who spent decades cultivating a seemingly impenetrable sense of community, is among the hardest hit. And the future of that community is horrifyingly uncertain.
The Catalyst for Altadena’s Strong Black Community
Prior to the wildfires, Altadena stood as one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most resounding success stories. Initially, discriminatory housing practices (called “redlining”) held Altadena as a firmly white community. The Altadena Heritage non-profit maintains that even as recently as 1960, the unincorporated area held a staggering 95% caucasian population. Yet, in the face of racist housing discrimination, Altadena began to slowly build its reputation as an enclave for African Americans determined to secure their piece of the American Dream.
Between 1950 and 1960, Altadena’s Black Population jumped from less than a single percentage to 4%. But then President Lyndon Johnson signed The Fair Housing Act of 1968 into law along with additional civil rights bills. The town’s Black population skyrocketed to 27% by 1970. During the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, Altadena was one of the first areas to offer mortgage loans to African Americans. That’s not to say these rights came easily. Even in forward-facing Altadena, the battle for equality was just that… a battle.
Building Community in Altadena
Compared to the discrimination that middle-class African Americans faced in suburbs across the country, Altadena offered hope. And as more Black neighbors moved into the town, a feeling of community that for many of its residents had, until that moment, seemed elusive, began to thrive. Chief among these Altadena sanctuaries was The Meadows, a neighborhood at the unincorporated area’s western border that was partially owned by staunch abolitionist Owen Brown, a white man who spent his life fighting for equal rights.
Even in unity, the growing Black community of Altadena faced adversity. Perhaps the most trying moment came in the 1960s, just as Civil Rights provided an opportunity for the Black community to catch their footing. The construction of the 210 Freeway bisected the area, causing upheaval to residents who had fought so hard to establish themselves. While some neighbors ultimately quit the area permanently, others found ways to come back together again and continue onward. And though Altadena’s population has continued to hover around 42,000, it seems to become more diversified with each passing year. Now, the Eaton Fire is posing perhaps the greatest threat the town has faced.
The Destructive Rage of the Eaton Fire
On the evening of Tuesday, January 7, amidst a Santa Ana Wind event that pummeled the Greater Los Angeles area with brutal gusts following an uncharacteristically dry start to the winter, the Eaton Fire ignited. At this point, it seems likely that the Eaton Fire, so named because of its point of origination in Eaton Canyon, started when an electrical transformer exploded, scattering sparks into the dry brush that was then fanned by the winds. The entire community of Altadena received evacuation orders as the fire rapidly spread.
Less than a week later, an estimated 7,000 structures were damaged or completely leveled by the Eaton Fire. Over 14,000 acres have been scorched. Devastatingly, 17 lives have been confirmed lost. And, at the time of writing, the fire is at 45% containment. No matter how this tragedy has manifested in their lives, Altadena’s Black community is grieving. All have lost something. It may be a loved one. It may be a home passed from generation to generation. Or it may be the community itself.
Of its roughly 42,000 residents, 18% were Black. And nearly 8 out of 10 African American Altadenans owned their homes… nearly double the national rate. Adding in other ethnicities, Altadena measured up to be one of the most racially diverse communities in the Greater Los Angeles area with 58% of its residents being people of color. And it’s painful to write this in the past tense. But to be brutally honest, we don’t know what the future of Altadena looks like. Hundreds of homes that were standing at the turn of the new year are nothing but ash today.
The Future of Altadena and Its Diverse Community
On Sunday, January 12, members of the fallen town gathered together to discuss Altadena’s uncertain future. Most of the voices gathered echoed the sentiment that Altadena was too special to let it blow away like ashes on the breeze. But there was a prevalent fear expressed throughout the meeting that private equity groups would snatch up the land in its current state of vulnerability, rebuilding it into something unrecognizable. Altadena is under the jurisdiction of L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger who has vocally sworn to block condo developments in favor of single-family homes.
Yet, this situation stands to pit the Altadena community’s efforts to re-establish its former single-family enclave against Southern California’s intense need for affordable housing. Re-zoning may be a bitter pill for neighborhoods across the county to swallow, but a drastic and urgent need for housing has been underscored more violently than ever by the wildfires. Will Altadena be able to go back to its tranquil, diverse single-family home sanctuary? It’s impossible to say at the moment… and probably will be for some time.
Contributor, designer & admin for JohnHart Gazette.
