The Little-Known Black History Of Altadena, California

map of altadena california
Briona Lamback
January 14, 2025

Becoming a homeowner in the 1960s wasn't easy for us. Redlining and discriminatory housing practices were at an all-time high. In California, many found refuge in Altadena, one of the few places where Black people could obtain mortgages. Eventually, Altadena became a place where our people thrived.

As California's first middle-class Black neighborhood, Altadena gave our people a piece of the "American Dream" pie denied to them in the Jim Crow South they had escaped.

Altadena economically empowered many families who have passed down their homes to children and grandchildren. Today, the city's Black homeownership rate is 81.5%, nearly double the national rate. With the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, this thriving version of Altadena has drastically changed.

The historically Black city has been reduced to ashes, displacing families who've lost everything. The Altadena cemetery, where science fiction novelist Octavia Butler is buried, caught fire. Butler wrote about 2025 wildfires caused by climate change in her popular book “Parable of the Sower.” She knew that disasters have the hardest impact on marginalized communities like ours.

When disaster strikes, we can’t always rely on the system but we know we can rely on each other. Here is a list of displaced Black families that have requested donations. California’s two largest Black law firms have started this fund to help those impacted by the fires.

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