LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A GoFundMe directory for Black families who lost everything in the Eaton fire is gaining traction online.
This directory was put together by an organization called Community Aid Dena. It lists hundreds of black bushfire victims who share their heartbreaking stories of loss.
“My wife is eight and a half months pregnant and we are looking forward to the birth of our first child next month. Unfortunately, during the evacuation, we were only able to gather a few days’ worth of clothing and essentials.” These are items for,” Redmond Robinson said in a GoFundMe post.
Black families began settling in Altadena during the Great Migration of the 1930s. Black homeowners were not able to obtain mortgages until the 1960s, when California’s Rumford Fair Housing Act of 1963 and Fair Housing Act of 1968 made it difficult to obtain housing based on race or ethnicity. Discrimination became illegal and the system known as redlining was weakened.
Altadena, California, January 13, 2025: Shelia Elahi, 63, hugs her mother, Lois Walker, 82, after seeing her family’s home in Altadena for the first time since the fire. (Photo by Barbara Davidson for The Washington Post, via Getty Images) Altadena, California, January 13, 2025: Shelia Elahi, 63, (background) and her daughter Diara Elahi, 28, gutted. See Shelia’s mother’s house in Eaton on fire. (Getty Images) Residents provide free haircuts and braids in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on January 14, 2025. (Photo by ZOE MEYERS/AFP via Getty Images) A gas company employee maintains a surviving home. On January 16, 2025, a sign reads “We love you, beautiful Altadena” in an area where many homes were burned. Walk near the Eaton Fire sign in Altadena, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) Search and rescue teams scavenge through the remains of a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Altadena’s black homeownership rate is about 81%, nearly double the national rate.
“Thanks to love, three generations live deep in the Altadena home. I put down roots there to be one of that family. My entire street was destroyed in the Eaton Fire. We are shocked by so much destruction and loss,” Samantha Parker wrote in a GoFundMe post.
“We have volunteers and officers who have lost their homes. The fire has left a severe impact on our community, but we still have hope and resilience,” the Altadena Historical Society wrote on its website. ” posted. This nonprofit organization documents the oral history of this city and its significance in the Black community.
Community Aid Dena also has links to directories that help Latino (Latinx) families, Filipino families, and people with disabilities.
At the time this article was published, approximately 700 families had been added to the directory.
Additionally, California’s two largest black law firms have joined together to create a fund to support black victims of the Eaton fire.
“We stand in solidarity with those who are too often overlooked, and we are building this fund to ensure they have the resources, support, and hope they need to begin the process of recovering and rebuilding their lives. “While wildfires do not discriminate, systems designed to support recovery often do, and Black communities must overcome additional hurdles,” fund partners said in a statement to KTLA. mentioned in.
Mr. James A. Bryant, Mr. Rodney S. Diggs, Mr. Brian T. Dunn, Mr. Ivy McNeil Wyatt Purcell and Mr. Diggs of the Cochran Firm, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge. • Jasmyne Cannick is behind the fund, communicating with advocates, along with attorneys from Free and Accepted Masons State of California, Inc. The group has already started distributing funds.
The group also warns fire victims who start GoFundMe about the rules surrounding FEMA aid. By law, FEMA cannot provide assistance that duplicates benefits received from other sources.
“To avoid complications, it is best for individuals and families to keep their fundraising efforts general and not specify exactly how the funds will be used. If you apply, the authorities will not be able to refer to their GoFundMe “refer to this page as a reason to deny assistance,” said Jasmine Cannick, Fund Partner Community Advocate.
As of publication, the fund has raised more than $200,000.
