Local News

Fundraiser list helping wildfire victims in historically Black Altadena

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A GoFundMe directory of Black families who lost everything in the Eaton Fire is gaining traction online.

The directory was put together by the organization Community Aid Dena. It lists hundreds of Black wildfire victims who share their heartbreaking stories of loss.

“My wife is eight-and-a-half months pregnant, and we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our first child next month. Unfortunately, during the evacuation, we were only able to gather a few days’ worth of clothing and some essential items for our son,” Redmond Robinson said in his GoFundMe post.

Black families began settling in Altadena during the Great Migration in the 1930s. Black homeowners didn’t obtain mortgages until the 1960s, when California’s Rumford Fair Housing Act of 1963 and the 1968 Fair Housing Act made housing discrimination based on race or ethnicity illegal, weakening the system known as redlining.

  • Eaton Fire
  • Eaton Fire
  • Eaton Fire
  • Eaton Fire

The Black homeownership rate in Altadena is around 81%, almost double the national rate.

“There are generations three deep in the homes of Altadena because of the love. I set my roots there to become one of those families. My whole street was destroyed by the Eaton Fire. We are in shock with so much destruction and loss,” Samantha Parker wrote in her GoFundMe post.

“We have volunteers and board members who have lost their homes. The fires have left a profound impact on our community, but we remain hopeful and resilient,” the Altadena Historical Society posted on its website. The non-profit keeps records, along with an oral history of the city and its importance within the Black community.

Community Aid Dena also has links to directories helping Latine (Latino) families, Filipino families and those with disabilities.

When this article was published, almost 700 families had been added to the directory.

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