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The California fire that swept out of Eaton Canyon last month devastated Altadena neighborhoods and claimed multiple lives including that of Evelyn McClendon, a school bus driver remembered for her spirituality and dedication to children, said her brother Zaire Calvin, not for the tragedy that took her life.
In the glow of stained glass windows at Pasadena’s First AME Church, Calvin honored his sister’s memory alongside the relatives of other Eaton fire victims Erliene Kelley and Rodney Nickerson – a fellowship of the bereaved united in grief.
“My heart bleeds for these families and all of our community,” said Calvin.
The solemn service highlighted the Eaton fire’s disproportionate impact on Altadena’s Black community and became a rally for justice and equality led by the attorney Ben Crump and the Rev Al Sharpton.
The January wildfires in the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades fire and Eaton fire, are among the deadliest and most destructive in California’s history. But questions about delayed evacuation orders have given rise to feelings of neglect among some Altadena residents.
“This is a human issue,” said Sharpton. “We stand with those at the Palisades and Hollywood Hills, but let everybody stand with us too.”
New data from the University of California, Los Angeles, revealed that nearly half of Altadena’s Black households were either destroyed or severely damaged by the fire.
“We want to make sure that we have truth, accountability and justice for Altadena,” said Crump. “We don’t want three-fifths justice. We don’t want half justice for those Black families who lost so much. We want whole justice.”
Fueled by high winds, the Eaton fire burned more than 9,400 structures across Altadena and its neighboring cities, claiming 17 lives, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection.
In its aftermath, reports of late evacuation warnings have sparked calls for an investigation. Donald Trump toured fire-ravaged regions of the Pacific Palisades and promised to rebuild but was notably absent from Altadena.
Feeling overlooked is nothing new, said Calvin after the service, citing a long history of being told to go to the back of a line or a bus.
“I just want us to be in front,” he said. “I want to be made whole and everybody taken care of as a community.”
During the memorial, Trevor Kelley paid tribute to his mother, Erliene, a retired pharmaceutical technician. She was always the last person in her household to sleep and the first to wake.
“Do you know what that means in the Bible?” said Kelley. “This was an angel that God sent to raise us.”
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Eric Nickerson reflected on his father, Rodney, who took pride in his family’s deep ties to Los Angeles. The city’s largest public housing complex, Nickerson Gardens, bears their family name.
On the night of the wildfire, Rodney was in bed in his Altadena home.
“The reason why this memorial is important is these people did nothing but what they were supposed to do in their own homes,” said Sharpton. “When you don’t have the safety and sanctity of your own home, then what is left? What are we supposed to tell our children now?”
Altadena’s historically Black, middle-class neighborhood was shaped by racially discriminatory housing practices. Surrounding cities restricted Black home ownership, so Altadena became a refuge.
UCLA researchers said this area was closest to the Eaton fire perimeter, and required the most support to recover.
“This is our blood. This is our sweat,” said Sharpton about the diverse Altadena neighborhood. “And even though it burned to the ground, we are going to build back.”
At the service, community leaders urged homeowners to stay united and resist selling their properties in the aftermath of the fire.
“It’s a community that cannot be replicated,” said Calvin. “Those people need to be loved on and given the chance to build back, so the community does not change.”
