Helen Liddell, a 69-year-old Black homeowner in Altadena, lost her house of 34 years in LA’s devastating January 2025 Eaton Fire that burned for 24 days and destroyed more than 15,000 structures. Once a hub of community, hospitality, and culture, her property is now reduced to a driveway and a single surviving plant she carried from Mississippi. Like many Altadena residents, especially those from the city’s historic Black community, Liddell faces not only the trauma of displacement but also the pressure of predatory developers snapping up land as residents struggle to rebuild.

Altadena’s Black homeowners, many of whom settled there during the Great Migration, are fighting to preserve their community’s history and resist being pushed out. Grassroots organizations and local architects are working to provide housing support and streamline rebuilding, but recovery remains painfully slow. Despite uncertainty about finances and timelines, Liddell insists she will stay: her land, and her community’s legacy, are not for sale.