The Rev. Al Sharpton will be in Southern California next week to lead a memorial service and rally for wildfire victims during a visit to First AME Church in Pasadena.
“The wildfires scourging Los Angeles these last few weeks have been a devastating humanitarian and natural disaster. People have lost their homes, their memories, and ultimately their lives to this devastation, while some have sought to use this horrific event to score political points,” Sharpton said in a statement.
The civil rights leader and founder of National Action Network described bringing the community together “to mourn those we have lost and galvanize them to recover, restore, and rebuild.”
A series of deadly wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County beginning on Jan. 7 – most notably the Palisades fire along the coast and the Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Valley – have claimed lives and left communities in ruins.
The Palisades fire damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu while the Eaton fire damaged or destroyed more than 10,000 structures in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. At least 29 people have died – 12 in the Palisades fire and 17 in the Eaton fire.
To be sure, residents in Altadena and Pasadena weren’t the only ones to suffer losses. But given Altadena’s history as a community that welcomed Black homeowners and gave Black families an opportunity to build generational wealth, the loss of so many homes has been felt deeply in this community.
A recent UCLA study found that the Black community in Altadena was disproportionately impacted by the Eaton fire and that systemic inequality and redlining resulted in fire vulnerability.
With so many of those families now displaced, many have urged government and elected officials to make sure that recovery efforts are equitable.
Family members of some people who died in the fires are expected to attend Thursday’s memorial service and rally.
The event will take place at First AME Church, 1700 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Doors will open at 11 a.m. The service will begin at noon.