Join us for a powerful documentary screening that tells the story of Altadena's historic African American community and its fight to rebuild after the Eaton Fire.

“Beneath the Ashes: The Past Reimagined” is a feature-length documentary examining the Eaton Fire’s devastating impact on Altadena’s African American community while illuminating a powerful vision for its future.

For Black families across America, systemic racism and discriminatory housing practices were longstanding realities. By the mid-20th century, the City of Pasadena enforced redlining policies that restricted African Americans from owning homes, pushing many into the city’s northwest corner. In contrast—and to the relief of many—the neighboring community of Altadena earned a reputation for inclusivity and opportunity, becoming a place where Black families could achieve homeownership and build lasting roots. Over generations, this led to the creation of a thriving Black community and the transfer of generational wealth. Today, that legacy is under threat as the Eaton Fire has placed this hard-earned stability in jeopardy.

“Beneath the Ashes” tells this urgent story through firsthand accounts from those most affected—Black homeowners, renters, business owners, pastors, and community leaders. Directed by Hrag Yedalian and produced by Brandon D. Lamar, President of the NAACP Pasadena Branch

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