William Brangham:
Lisa’s lease is up in a few months. The mortgage on their house still comes due every month. They had insurance, but it’s not clear if it’ll be enough to rebuild.
While the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures in all, it hit Black homeowners in Altadena particularly hard. A recent study found that almost half of Black households had their homes destroyed or severely damaged, compared to 37 percent of non-Black households. Many of those homes can be traced back several generations.
Jasmin Shupper, Founder and President, Greenline Housing Foundation: The history of Altadena as it pertains to Black people is very significant.
