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<\/p>\nThe story of Altadena’s Black community, before and after the Eaton Fire, is the subject of a new documentary created by Los Angeles County, and it’s premiering Thursday night. <\/p>\n
The film follows four families over the last 18 months, each with different timelines, different priorities, and different fears, as there are concerns that generational wealth could be lost. <\/p>\n
Homeowner John Hickambottom shares his story in “Reclaiming Home: Black Altadena Rebuilds,” as he is rebuilding his childhood home. <\/p>\n
“We are going to save our steps up to the front door,” he said standing on the old stoop with new wood steps. <\/p>\n
He said for him and many other neighbors, it feels like it wasn’t just the homes that were lost, but the history of how West Altadena came to be.<\/p>\n
“My parents and a lot of their friends came to Altadena, and came to this very street and were not redlined,” Hickambottom said. <\/p>\n
Redlining was a common practice in the not-so-distant past, for his parents it was 1964.<\/p>\n
“They could not buy a home in the same places that white families could buy homes because real estate agents had a written and unwritten rule that they would not have Black families move into certain white neighborhoods,” he said.<\/p>\n
A UCLA study found that around 48% of Altadena’s Black households were destroyed by the Eaton Fire, or sustained major damage. <\/p>\n
Which is why Los Angeles County chose to produce a documentary giving Black homeowners like Hickambottom, a platform to preserve the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“In order to really understand what was lost, we have to first understand what existed,” Executive Producer, Judith Green said. “The story had to be told\u2026.”<\/p>\n
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“Reclaiming Home: Black Altadena Rebuilds,” Premiers Thursday, July 31 in Altadena.<\/p>\n
LA County<\/p>\n
Another alarming fact is that a majority of Black Altadena homeowners are over the age of 65, making them vulnerable to incomplete or insufficient insurance coverage, according to the UCLA study.<\/p>\n
As for the Hickambottoms they were underinsured, and like many others, they are coming out of pocket to finish, adding new touches to the house his parents once made home. <\/p>\n
And although he’s not sure if all his neighbors will return, he’s thankful to give a voice to his community, so others know, what truly made Altadena strong.<\/p>\n