Abolitionist Sanctuary
Join Founder and Executive Director of Abolitionist Sanctuary, Rev. Nikia S. Robert, Ph.D., in a podcast about Black women/mothers, religion, and mass punishment. Connect with us to be apart of a faith-based abolitionist movement!
Abolitionist Sanctuary
S3:E2 Beauty in Ashes: Black Mothers Surviving the Eaton Canyon Wildfires
When flames tore through Altadena on January 7th, they destroyed more than buildings—they revealed deep inequities in how America responds to disasters in Black communities. Against the backdrop of California's fifth deadliest wildfire, this episode brings together two survivors with starkly different recovery experiences.
Tamil, an intergenerational homeowner who operated a braiding business from the house her mother owned for 50 years, woke to find her world literally on fire. "I just sat there for hours as people on the news showed Altadena Drive burning," she recalls. "We left the car and I cried." Sixty miles away from her community and client base, Tamil now struggles with insurance paperwork, mortgage forbearance, and the isolation of starting over without adequate support.
Alongside her sits Shimika Gaskins, president of End Child Poverty California, whose professional connections mobilized immediately after she lost her home. "My place of work was super supportive. My team stepped in to make sure we had everything we needed right away." The contrast between their experiences highlights a troubling reality: disaster recovery systems work better for those already connected to resources.
Both women speak candidly about the failures that endangered lives—no functioning alert systems, fire hydrants without water, and delayed emergency responses compared to more affluent areas. "It's angering when we think about what could have prevented the fire," Shamika notes. "The fact that there was no alert system... it's just unacceptable."
Six months later, their faith remains tested but unbroken. Despite disappointment with some local churches, they've found strength in community and spirituality. "God never makes a mistake," Tamil reflects. "He does send his angels." Their advice for others still struggling resonates beyond disaster recovery: find your supportive people, protect your peace, remember to breathe, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
This powerful conversation reveals both heartbreak and hope—a testament to Black women's resilience and a call for equity in disaster response. Listen now and join us in supporting those still rebuilding their lives after the flames.
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Welcome to the Abolitionist Sanctuary podcast, where we consider critical conversations at the intersections of religion, abolition and Black motherhood. I am your host, reverend Dr Nakia Smith-Robert, the Executive Director of Abolitionist Sanctuary. We are a national coalition leading a faith-based abolitionist movement. Be sure to visit us and become a member at abolitionistsanctuaryorg. Download our mobile app and join our social learning platform. Take courses and become certified in abolition as social change at abolitionacademycom. Check out our new documentary project, subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on social media at Abolitionist Sanctuary and donate to our organization. Thank you to Kara Solutions Multimedia Company and welcome to all of our audiences joining us on all streaming platforms. Please share this podcast and invite others to listen with you. Join me in welcoming our special guests. So I have with us Truvana, who's affectionately called by her middle name, tamil.
Speaker 1:Tamil is an intergenerational Altadena native. She lives in the same home that her mother owned for more than 50 years prior to the Eaton Canyon fires, tamil attended John Muir High School, go Mustangs. Her mother was a chartered member of Victory Bible Church. A chartered member of Victory Bible Church, tamil now owns her own business, braids by True, that she founded over 30 years ago, serving the Altadena community. Her purpose is more than cosmetology, but a cosmic calling to boost women's self-esteem through care and holistic aesthetic care. She is a mother, grandmother and entrepreneur. Welcome Tamil, hello, thank you.
Speaker 1:Let us also welcome Shamika Gaskins, who is the president and CEO of In Child Poverty California.
Speaker 1:Powered by Grace, with a background in law and public policy, she brings expertise in criminal justice reform, children's rights and social equity.
Speaker 1:Before leading In Child Poverty California, shamika served as the executive director of the Children's Defense Fund California, driving statewide initiatives focused on health equity, juvenile justice reform, educational access and poverty alleviation for children and families, especially those from marginalized communities. Previously, shamika held key roles at the US Department of Justice, including acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy, where she shaped innovative policy initiatives. She also practiced civil litigation at Cummington and Burling LLP and began her career as a law clerk for the Honorable Roger L Gregory Fourth Circuit in the Honorable Victoria Roberts Eastern District of Michigan Law Center and graduated cum laude with a BA in philosophy from the Catholic University of America. An active leader in the nonprofit sector, she serves on the boards of Impact Justice, the California Budget and Policy Center, the Liberty Hill Foundation and the Institute for Success. She is also a commissioner on the LA County Commission for Children and Families, a 2022 Rosenberg Foundation Leading Edge Fellow and Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow. Shamika's work has been featured in major outlets like USA Today, sacramento Bee, los Angeles Daily News and CalMatters.
Speaker 1:Welcome Shamika.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Now I'm happy to say that both of you are in my village, are my people? Tamil braids my hair and my children's hair, and has done so for as long as we lived in California, so for about 13 years. Shamika and I met at Harambe Summer Camp, which is a Christian-based program serving local youth. Our children both attended the camp. I'm excited to have you both here to highlight the work you're doing in the community and to also solicit support for the ways in which we can advocate for you and others who have been affected by the Eaton Canyon wildfires. So let us hop right into our time together. First tell me your pronouns and give us a description of how you are showing up in this space, and then who are your people. We'll start with Tamil and then we'll go to Shamique.
Speaker 2:My pronoun is she, her.
Speaker 4:I am showing determined and just trying to push forward. This has been a very trying time. My people are like yourself. I've been able to express how I feel and you have connected me with so many resources. There's been a change reaction community. They have really rallied behind us. I just had to wrap my head around what happened and push forward and make myself available for those who wanted to help.
Speaker 1:Yes, and describe yourself. What are you wearing? What do you look like?
Speaker 2:Oh, what I'm wearing. Okay, well, my daughter does hair, so I'm laying my tire in the room and I am located in my shop.
Speaker 4:I was blessed to have a safe space to now service my clients. I'm in the city of Upland, so I'm here in my salon. Just finished applying.
Speaker 2:Pinments to go.
Speaker 1:Amazing Tavika. Tell me what are your pronouns. Give us a visual of how you are showing up in this space and who are your people.
Speaker 3:Well, good to see you both. I am she her pronouns are just Kavika. I am wearing glasses and a white Oxford striped shirt. I need to go see Camille because I want to get my hair braided all summer and I haven't yet. I'm wearing lipstick today, Dressed up for you both and you are my people. I feel really blessed to have so many friendships, many born out of working relationships, community, so many motherhood relationships, so I'm just really very grateful.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the community. Tell us what was life like for you in Altadena prior to the Eaton Canyon fires.
Speaker 3:We'll start with you, Shamika in Altadena prior to the Eaton Canyon fires. We'll start with you, shamika. I really want to call it a way. I thought about it, and not just because they're on the Abolition Sanctuary podcast, but it really was a sanctuary for me. I grew up in a very small town in South Carolina 5,000 people, 10,000 people to this day, a town my grandparents grew up in, great-grandparents going all the way back to slavery. For me, I've always been a small-town girl. I moved from South Carolina to Washington DC, as you heard in my career, but my husband's an LA native. He grew up in South LA and really wanted to raise our children in California, so we moved in 2016 to California. I really was looking for a place that felt like home, a place that felt like there was nature and, particularly because our son has asthma, that there was good air quality, knowing what LA is like, and Altadena really was that sanctuary place for us.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing that, Trevonna. How about you?
Speaker 4:I was born and raised in Altadena, from the hospital to the home. I lived there. For sharing that, trevonna, how about you? I was born and raised in Altadena, from the hospital to the home. I lived there for 47 years. So it was family, it was community, it was love. That's what it was for me before the virus.
Speaker 1:Thank you for sharing that. January 7th has become a date that is forever etched into the hearts of Altadenas. It is the day that the Eaton Canyon wildfires began in the San Gabriel Valley, killing some and displacing others, destroying more than 9,000 buildings and becoming the fifth deadliest and second most destructive wildfire in California history. Can you tell us where were you on January 7th and what do you remember from that day? We'll start with you, Trevon.
Speaker 4:On January 7th. I had a Christmas party months before I went out of town. I came back on January 3rd and was cleaning up January 7th. I was just spending the whole day getting ready, excited for the new year and all that it was going to bring, like taking down Christmas trees and all the things. Then around 7 pm my fiance came home and he was saying babe, the winds are really bad. I'm like yeah, we always get Santa Ana winds, so it's normal. And out to Dena. And so we just went on with our evening and then our power went out and we just like, oh, we'll just call it a night. But he was like no, this wind is really bad. And then we start getting texts saying are you okay? I'm just like what are they talking about? Because I'm thinking it's the wind.
Speaker 4:Around 9 pm my daughter's grandmother called and she's like you know it's really bad. I'm like what are you talking about? She's like there's a fire. So I go to look out my front window and I didn't see anything. Again, I'm just like it's just really windy. And then I went back to sleep and then we got a call from one of his co-workers at three in the morning and was like there's a fire in Eaton and he kept saying he's not from Altadena. So he kept saying Eaton. And I'm like what are you talking about? And I was like wait, eaton Canyon, that's right there. By that time I looked bad. We were scrambling, trying to find things and our house was engulfed with smoke. We grabbed some important papers and had to close on our back and evacuate.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is devastating and I just want to acknowledge that this is very difficult and can be triggering. To tell these stories, please exercise the boundaries that you need. Feel free not to answer the question if it's too heavy for you. I know that this is very difficult, shamika. How would you want to respond to that question?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, I think about it all the time because the night before the wind was really high and I grew up in hurricane territory, hurricane season, lived through hurricanes and I kept telling my husband I don't like this howling. It's howling like a hurricane. And we woke up the next day there was lots of debris in our yard from our oak tree. Everything seemed fine. By the time we took the kids to school, the power was out. I didn't know anything about the Palisades fire until about two or three o'clock in the afternoon when I went to pick the kids up and was listening to NPR, I was like, oh my God, there's a fire in the Palisades. I was trying to get them home early because we didn't have power and I wanted to make sure everybody can get settled in before the night began.
Speaker 3:We did that and that day actually is etched in our minds for another reason, because during the middle of the day my husband, who's a marathon runner, learned that he had gotten into the Australian Marathon, which is a world marathon, and it's a lottery. He'd been trying to get into the marathon. So we're like, oh, let's celebrate, we're going to order takeout, we don't have power. His reaction was I'm going for a run. I was like no, it's too windy. And so at like 4.30, he went out running Altadena and got home about 6.15. And the same time, like our food arrived and everything was dark but it seemed fine.
Speaker 3:I was worried that he'd been up there running in the wind. Then we're eating and he gets this text message from a colleague who says are you guys okay? They're under fire. We're like, there ain't no fire, what are you talking about? My husband didn't believe them because he'd just been outside. He texted her and was like send me pictures. When she sent the picture, we all looked at the picture. I'm like that looks very close.
Speaker 3:Unfortunately, we went to the door with my children and opened the front door and the fire was there. It looked like it was on next street, behind our neighbor's houses. It felt apocalyptic, it was crazy. And so then, as Tamil said, we just all panicked. Thankfully, my husband didn't panic as much and tried to gather our children, who were panicking, to pull together everything you know what basic things we could find in the dark, because they're also scrambling around in the dark and all our neighbors came out. Because we're one of the few families on our street that have young children. My children are 10 and 12. And they came and sat with the children in the car because they were really frightened and scared, until we could have what we could in the car to read.
Speaker 1:It's really difficult and emotional. It's very difficult to hear that. I can't imagine what it's like to relive it as you're giving that description. I just feel led for us to take a moment of silence for those families and people we lost in the fires. Let's close our eyes. If you know their names, feel free to speak them. Let's lift up our hearts and just be intentional about creating a moment of silence. May their memory be a blessing. Thank you for sharing your stories. I am terribly sorry that you endured these challenges without any warning. As we are investigating the situation, there are things that could have been done better to ensure you've had the proper notice and resources to come out better in a situation like this. If you are open, perhaps you can tell me what was the morning of January 8th like when you woke up. How was it different? Just walk us through with the reality setting in as you reconcile the loss, the grief and other emotions with all you needed to do to survive.
Speaker 4:Camille, do you want to start? Yeah, I'll start. So, like I said, we left at three, maybe like 3.30 in the morning. We were just like we've learned stop, drop and roll, duck and cover. But where do you go when there's a week? So we're like we're just going to drive to Morovia and sit at Denny's until we figure this out, because, again, we had no cell service. We got to Morovia, denny's was closed. We kept driving until we got to Glendora and we went in Denny's and it's all over the news.
Speaker 4:So now, of course, the further we're driving away, my phone is blowing up and I'm looking on social media and I see it was by righty on Altadena Drive. So then, as we're sitting there, my niece and my great nephew, I reached out to her to see if they were okay, and she was at a family member's house down the street and they hadn't been evacuated. I was like, well, you know, our house was succumbed with smoke, so that's why we left. She said okay. Then she said she was going to go to the house and get some of her medications and things together. And then she called back maybe an hour later and said that when she pulled up to the house, our neighbor's house was already on fire and she said it was like raining fire. I don't know what we're going to come back to if anything, but that was what it was.
Speaker 4:But still in my mind I'm thinking like, oh well, the fire truck is going to come and put it out and we'll be fine. But unfortunately that was just not the reality. So I just sat there for another three hours as people like on the news it's just showing, like you know, watts, flores, altadena Drive and Mayor Poston and I was like, oh my God, I live like to the next street down, and so it kind of hit and I just went completely numb. I started getting phone calls and they're like my grandson's father was like mom, I'm going to go up there and try to save the house and I'm like no, I don't want anyone in danger, it is what it is, we'll just pray this isn't happening. Around six in the morning I got a text with a picture of the house just gone.
Speaker 4:We left out at Denny's and I was like I need to get some air. We just sat in the car my fiance guy and we cried. I called my brother from Texas and he's like are you guys okay? And I was just like no, I couldn't talk For the next eight hours. I just said no. My fiance took me to his brother's house and he just made all kind of arrangements for us to go somewhere. But the first day I was checked out mentally.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Wow. And this is the home. I brought my two-year-old daughter into your living room for you to braid her hair, sitting on the couch right across the fireplace and seeing grandchildren in diapers running around. It was a home filled with love, a staple in the community, beautiful residents. And to see how quickly that can change in a matter of hours, the difference a day makes. How about you, Shamika?
Speaker 3:Well, we made it to my sister house in Pasadena. So I didn't actually I technically never went to sleep. I just watched the news all night, praying, trying to understand the trajectory. Ironically, when we were leaving, going down the mountain, my daughter said we're not coming back, it's not going to be there. I was like, why would you say that we're all praying? But I think because we saw it so close, she just had a sense it wasn't going to be there.
Speaker 3:But you know, hoping and praying that the firefighters, airdrops, something was going to put it out before it got further, and so, anyway, I don't think that I fell asleep, probably like at 530, and then woke up in a panic because my husband kept saying he wanted to go back and get more stuff there's pictures he wanted and I kept saying it was too dangerous. Well, once I fell asleep he went up there. I can't imagine what he saw, but at about 6 am he called back because I was trying to reach him but there was no cell service. Until he got down the mountain closer to Pasadena he called and I knew it was gone, just hearing his voice. He saw it actively burning. No one around, no water. The helplessness of that. No one around no water, the helplessness of that and yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry. We were displaced. We did not lose our home. We saw the fires. It did not leap across whatever valley. It needed to get to a town nearby where we live, but smelling the smoke, not knowing if you would be able to return to your home.
Speaker 1:I remember going through my house and just taking pictures of everything. I thought this might be the last time I see it, and then I also thought if we needed any type of reimbursements or reports, I would have these pictures of what it looked like prior to the fire. I remember taking valuable assets and packing our car with garbage bags of things, taking my son's PS5 and my valuables, packing up with toilet paper and pillows and blankets, and just getting on the road not knowing where we were going but just knew we had to get away from here. This is really devastating, and so I'm thinking now that we are more than six months out. You told us what life was like prior to January 7th. You told us what the morning of January 8th felt like the devastation, the numbness. Tell us now, where are you, more than six months later, in your recovery process, both materially, spiritually, emotionally. Where are you in your recovery process? I'll start with you, shamika.
Speaker 3:I'll start with materially, and probably easier than emotionally and spiritually. Thankfully, we were super blessed. My sister is in Pasadena and we were able to stay with her for several weeks in her family and the kids had cousins and people to be around. And frankly, I think, as Tennille said, it was the thing that saved me, because she fed me, she made sure I stayed healthy, but it also kept me from going into complete despair because, you know, we had our children around, we had their cousins around, we had a lot of people around. It wasn't until we moved into the apartment in February that I really felt the weight of it all, but thankfully we were able to secure an apartment in Pasadena.
Speaker 3:My place of work, which we'll talk about later, was super supportive. I didn't have to worry. My team stepped in to make sure we had everything we needed right away. I couldn't even wrap my mind around things, but because of the community and working with so many nonprofit leaders, they just showed up the next day with clothes and bags of things. I definitely felt loved and supported in that way and didn't have to worry.
Speaker 3:It was still so difficult because we're not attuned to asking for help. That part was really hard to be like no, I actually need help. I actually need to hold paper and tissue and toothbrushes and things that seem really basic. And, spiritually, I have to say, be 100% honest with you, dasha and Kia. This has been the hardest thing in my life. I felt like I had been through some pretty hard things before this. I felt like I had a pretty strong faith, but this really tested. It continues to test it every day and I think I'm so grateful because the times in which I felt the most tested, god seemed to know, and I get a text from you or my friend Joseph or somebody else sending me reminders that God was in control at us.
Speaker 1:So yeah, thank you for sharing that, and I could see the emotions that you are holding back and how hard it is to put yourself in the vulnerable space of sharing. In our Vacation Bible School, we are looking at the story of the three Hebrew boys, shadrach, meshach and Abednego, and in our church, about 54 families were displaced from the Eaton Canyon fires, and so we're continuing to minister every day. We offer free food, workshops, legal clinics, resources and community, and I think what I'm hearing and what you guys are saying is the importance of community. I really want us to hold on to that, because community is what gets us through crisis, but in the good times, it's what keeps us encouraged. Society has a way to condition us. It's about individualism. Right that we do not need community. We don't need this sense of mutuality. Instead, we need competition and not collaboration. But what we're hearing is what sustains you is this deep sense of community, and that's really important. Community is foundational to churches, so at this Vacation Bible School and throughout the week, we gather as a community.
Speaker 1:But one of the persons who lost their homes as we were talking about this story with Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, they were sharing how their faith was tested, similarly to the three Hebrew boys whose faith was tested in the fiery furnace, and as I hear about this being one of the most difficult times in your life and being a test of faith, it reminds me of that story of the three Hebrew boys who were thrown into a fiery furnace, refusing to bow down to the God of the oppressor right, refusing to submit to the names and relinquish their culture, but held on to their deep sense of community.
Speaker 1:And as they were in this fiery furnace, they were not alone. There was another presence there, and that was the presence of God, and they were able to come out of the fiery furnace unscathed and unconsumed. Now, that's not everyone's testimony. Some people come out with some scars and some burns, but I think what we can take from that story and what maybe you feel in your experiences is that, through this test of faith, we have the blessed assurance to know that God is with us and that not only is God with us, but our community is as well. Tamil. Please tell us about your recovery process which, based on my relationship with you, I understand is very different than what others are sharing.
Speaker 4:So please tell me about your recovery process, my recovery process has definitely been a struggle because we are relocated in Rancho Cucamonga. As you said, I had a home-based business where I braided hair as well. So being in the community and having a steady clientele over 30 years to be way in Rancho Cucamonga, I just felt so isolated. My clients, thank God. They were very understanding, but there was a huge disconnect In the beginning. I was ripping and running from Rancho to Pasadena where all the resources were, and it was amazing. But because I'm so used to being in my community, the commute alone was driving me crazy. That part has definitely been a struggle, as things have slowed.
Speaker 4:I feel like I'm lost in this alone because the majority of my peers are helping their parents with this. I'm the youngest but my mother, when she passed, she left the house to me. My siblings don't live in the town, so I'm navigating this by myself. Things like forbearance, the jargon dealing with the insurance I've never had to call the insurance company. They're telling me all these things because this was a home inheritance to me. It's not like I went through the whole buying process and I was familiar with all the things, so I just got overwhelmed. Being in this town all by myself, trying to navigate through everyone's lovely text messages, all this information. It was just overwhelming. For the first three months I was really showing up to the resource center but not really knowing what I'm doing with the tax papers and all the things.
Speaker 4:It's very hard because I am the strong person in my family, so even asking for help was I'm going to figure it out, and because I was raised by a strong woman who figured it out. She was a single mother. My father passed when I was seven, so she always figured it out. That's where my faith comes from, because she just did it. Now I'm just trying to learn how to ask for help and receive the help. That's what's keeping me going, is my faith and the foundation that my mother taught me the relationship with God, because outside of the church, that was a little disappointing for me. In this process it was tough not getting support from who you think you would, but God never makes a mistake, so he does send his angels, like you guys, to have just a space to talk about this because it's in my head. My peers don't understand. So that, like I said, it's been trying. But we're six months in and now I'm like, okay, I call it the fire fall. I'm getting out the fall, let's get into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you for sharing that. So God placed both of you on my heart and I see that there are similarities in your stories and the ways that you're rooted in the value of community, that you are rooted in the values of your home and family and the ways in which faith helps you to cope and navigate crises, but also the strong Black woman syndrome that we often inherit from our mothers, particularly mothers who were raised in poverty or mothers who raised their children single-handedly, and that context presents a unique circumstance for Black women and mothers who are navigating this process right that we don't always have access to the resources, we're not always conditioned to ask for help, particularly in a society that constructs us as unworthy of help. When we do ask for help, we meet the narrative of you're lazy, you're welfare queen, you're you know all these things, you're cheating the system, and so we retreat and say we'll do it on our own. But this situation was so severe that could not happen. You needed lifelong, and I'm glad that Ablish the Sanctuary and myself were there to reach out to you not just as an organization, but as your community, as your friend, as your sister and Tamil. When I heard how isolated you were. I remember saying why didn't you say something? And it's because that wasn't your comfort, right? You're very private. You were suffering alone. I'm so glad you trusted me to tell your story and I'm trying my best to go public with your story.
Speaker 1:We spoke with reporters. We're trying to get you coverage because your story is unique and different from a lot of other survivors, and so what I want to shed light here to all of our listeners is that there is a population affected by the Eaton Canyon fires who are overlooked and disconnected from resources. The media coverage we see only includes people successfully connected to resources, but there are still people who are locked out, who are disenfranchised. If we were to pathologize who those populations are, there are seniors, youth and there are other vulnerable populations and I think where Tamil fits in, it's the population of people who need a type of financial literacy and training to understand how to negotiate with contractors, how to advocate for themselves with insurance claims and how to navigate the paperwork, fill out applications and understand the terms and agreements and so forth. That may not have that type of business acumen because they were intergenerational in their homes. So Tamil said the only thing her mother taught her was to pay the mortgage on time and not to sell Right. He didn't get the education as an intergenerational homeowner.
Speaker 1:The other part of Tamil's story that disenfranchises her is the people who had a type of economic volatility prior to the fire.
Speaker 1:So the people who may not have and I'm not saying this applies to mail, but the people who may not have reported their income right, the people who may have went here in the back of their house, the people who don't know how to file their tax return, those people who may be engaged in underground economies to survive have to suddenly come above the table, and in order to get the resources they need, they need to show proof of income, they need to show W-2s bank statements. Some people were still saving their money underneath a mattress right. Vulnerable communities are getting left out and we have to advocate for and amplify their voices so that no one's left behind and they have equitable access to cover. So for that reason, it's pretty important that we highlight Camille's story and do so in relationship with Shamika's story, so we can see what the holistic process looks like, from the best case scenario to the not so good scenario, as we help people recover during these Eden Canyon fires.
Speaker 3:And can I add, I think what you just touched on is so important because, as you said, there are many stories about Altadena, right after the fires, where people said, oh well, I never knew this about Altadena, I didn't know about the Black community and the intergenerational transfers of wealth and homeownership, and I think what gets lost is people may not be living technically below the poverty line, but because you don't have a mortgage and or you've never had to have a mortgage and your family passed your home down to you, like, your economic situation is just very different. And now to think about having to pay for an apartment and rebuild a home, there's just a lot that is unique and important for people to understand, even when I think about the type of assistance people might need, as you said, navigating the paperwork, but also understanding particular circumstances of each person.
Speaker 1:We have to also be mindful that there is systemic racism, classism and structural inequities at play. We think about how long it took for Northwest Altadena to be informed compared to Southeast Pasadena, or the way people in the palisades received earlier interventions, including a visit from the president, that Eaton Canyon survivors did not receive. Talk to us about how you feel about these disparities and why are they significant? Shemika, do you want to start?
Speaker 3:It's angering when we think about what could have prevented the fire. Part of that is recognizing climate catastrophes. Can we prevent the Santa Ana winds? Probably not. But can we not have overhead power lines and folks complaining about that for many years and nothing ever happening? Yes, particularly around the notification of people.
Speaker 3:The fact that there was no alert system I remember being up in the middle of the night and it was still saying the fire was not near my home and apps, watchdogs or whatever the fact that people weren't being told get out, leave now, like that, it's okay for you to stay in your home is just unacceptable. We saw a totally different display of how people were pushed to get out so much that it was traffic jams and disruptive. When we look back and do deeper dives, you will see that it wasn't just about the circumstances of having two climate catastrophes happen at one time, but these fake inequities where you don't feel like it's important to have as much needed in particular communities. Having that analysis of why things played out the way they did and oftentimes people don't want to admit implicit bias and all the other things are the reasons why things could have looked differently Tamil.
Speaker 1:Do you want to add anything?
Speaker 4:No, and what she said. I was very devastated because I was taking the fire department, three blocks from my house, would come and then to later find out there was no water in the hydrants doesn't sit well because it's checks and balances. So what happened?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's extremely, extremely, extremely disheartening. This is a middle class, affluent, historically Black community and again it's this narrative that we are not worthy of help. We're not worthy of equal protection of our life, our civil and human rights right that our lives matter. It was a tale of two fires that we saw between the Palisades and Altadena and within Altadena. At our church we had a press conference. Attorney Benjamin Crump and Al Sharpton attended and led a memorial service for victims who lost their loved ones. Other neighboring churches have also hosted press conferences and organizations to shed light on these injustices. Tell me about two things what type of support have you received? One from churches and two from other organizations Tamil, can you start? Or lack of support.
Speaker 4:This is the same space and I'm just going to be honest the lack of support from the churches in my community. It's crazy because I did research one time just the amount of churches just on my main street, all the fair works, there's a church on every block and our community is so small. I know pastors by name, by face, and a lack of support in my community. It wasn't there. Outside of the community I have been getting so much support Now that I've been connected. It's very disheartening. Once you connect me with First AMV, they welcomed me with open arms and it was just a lot of good information. That part has been amazing, just the turnaround. But to be born and raised in a community and see other people getting all of the resources is very disheartening. Different nonprofits have opened the door and have been navigating this process.
Speaker 1:Do you want to be specific about the church that you were connected to that you did not get resources from?
Speaker 4:My mother was a charter member of Victory Bible Church. I was baptized in that church under Bishop Henry, bishop Milton White and just the support, I will say Bishop White's wife, lady White. She did reach out to me in support, but that's just as far as the support went. I just felt like the ball was dropped Myself and my mother, like in our household it was like you guys have to go to church, so we brought so many members to that church and just to see them drop the ball was very hurtful see them drop the ball was very hurtful.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry to hear that. I think that is a growing edge for churches, particularly the evangelical tradition. We could be so heavily bound and no earthly good that we over-spiritualize, even in crisis, to say God is going to handle it, god is going to provide which may be true, and we have the responsibility to make sure that we are God's hands, god's feet, that we are helping each other and helping ourselves and the church, I think, can also get lost in optics. It seems that some churches are more concerned about the press and the publicity than the people. It's not enough to show up on Sundays and ask people to tithe and then not give them the resources they need to survive.
Speaker 1:I know how hurt they were to see some people get in shiny new cars and all this assistance while you were struggling to get from Altadena, where your client base was, to Upland without any resources, living in an Airbnb, having to pay rent while paying mortgage on a house that no longer exists and having lost all of your clientele in Altadena and having to start over again 60 miles away in a new town where you have no community, no connections, is extremely hard, and you would think the institutions that you are most familiar with would be there to help you, like the church. I'm glad that you did find some resources at Ritvme, pasadena, under the leadership of Pastor Larry E Campbell, and that you felt that you were received with open arms. That shows you that it's not all churches what churches can do better. How about you, shamika? How has your experience has been with recovery?
Speaker 3:If you could name particular churches, organizations and how your faith has grounded you in this crisis, I think I know because of my work and community and working at Children's Defense Center and then also in Child Poverty, california, I've had the opportunity to work with so many other faith groups and community and coalition with folks in terms of being able to organize around anti-poverty issues more, and so for me, those are the people who showed up, whether it's with clothes or cash, once Neil was saying you're in the fog.
Speaker 3:They were the ones texting me like apply for FEMA, the FEMA application is open, and I'm like I don't even know how to you just loom all sense of anything you know, and so it the one's texting me like apply for FEMA, the FEMA application is open, and I'm like I don't even know how to you just loom all sense of anything you know, and so it's just, and times, I think, stand still. Those are the folks who are making sure that I did the things that needed to be done for me and my family, and so I feel really blessed. Brotherhood Crusade my sister, cherise Weaver, showed up on my couch and was like you know, this is what you need to do, and so many others probably too many to name. I'm so blessed that so many people, through my work, saw themselves as taking ownership of making sure me and my family were safe and taken care of.
Speaker 1:Thank you for mentioning that. I think that's another piece to make a distinction that the population that's getting left behind are the people who weren't connected to communities prior to the Eaton Canyon fires. If you just went to work braiding hair and then you went home and you weren't involved in a church or a member of Jack and Jill or a sorority or another organization, I could see how it would be isolating and difficult to get the information that often came word of mouth. You had to have your ear to the ground, so if you weren't connected to the community, you weren't getting that. Did you reach out to FEMA? Did you apply for that $600? Did you see the link that gets all the available rentals?
Speaker 1:This community is what keeps us alive. So I just have a couple of more questions before we conclude our time together For those who are still perhaps left behind or have access to what they need, but they want to make sure that they are caught up and doing everything they need to do. If you were to lead a training and it was the last slide that said here are the things that you need to do what would your advice be to people of what they need to do, to what would your advice be to people of what they need to do to get the resources they need to recover?
Speaker 3:I think part of it is getting networked and it's really hard. It feels like so much extra work on top of all the things that you have to keep up with just rebuilding your life. But as draining as it can be to get over the hump, being in community is also life-giving. My first piece of advice is find your people. It might be new people to get connected with. There's just too much to know and we can't, with our daily lives, keep up, and it's helpful to have folks who are, you know, may have more time or they're just better at staying organized. And, on top of things, I have a person who sends me do you know? This is what's happening in the county next and I'm like no, I haven't read that email. I don't check my email. They're keeping you informed. So I think that's number one. But I also want to say which is most important because this is grief is to protect your peace.
Speaker 3:If being in certain spaces is too much or too triggering, find the space that works for you, and it may take longer to get to where you need to be, but there are people who are out there who want to help, who aren't looking for anything in return. You know I have a 89-year-old woman in our apartment building. She has been in several Airbnbs, very similar to Tamir. I love this woman. She said to me a couple of weeks ago she's navigating most of this on her own too. She was like I have you and God. And I was like, yeah, me too, cause I need you. She's my community in this building of somebody who's connected to home, who shares the same values, who shows love in a way that people in Ossidina should love each other. So I think that's the most important thing Try your best to get connected and learn what was going on, but also find the people that are life-giving to you and stick with that.
Speaker 4:Thank you for that. Tamio, I would say number one remember to breathe. Simple stuff like that because you're on autopilot. Be willing to ask for help. Find your village and don't focus on those who aren't healthy. Allow those who want to help to help to try to get organized, because it's overwhelming Even when you're getting the information. Sometimes the forms were just looking like it was in a foreign language.
Speaker 4:I looked at my insurance papers for three months, had no clue. Delegate that to someone else and then they can read it to you. No, it takes time. Don't beat yourself up if you didn't check your emails into all those things, because this is a lot. Just really honor the process. This is grief on so many different levels. Allow yourself to process that. That's been the hardest thing for me because I watched my mother pass away, but this is a million times harder. Never in a trillion years would I have thought our childhood home, our legacy, everything would just be gone and they have to fight to get back. Just give yourself grace and stand on faith, whatever that looks like for you.
Speaker 1:For those who are listening. In summary, find your people who are life-giving Community matters. Connect to portals and people with information. Protect your peace with boundaries. Remember to breathe, Ask for help, Take it one step at a time, Get organized and get the training and education you need to understand technical processes, delegate, give yourself grace, honor the process and stand on faith. Thank you both so much. As we are heading to close, I want you to tell us about your business, ways in which we can support your organizations and the ways in which people can stay in contact with you and support your organizations and the ways in which people can stay in contact with you.
Speaker 2:You can book your hair appointments. Yes, my name is Brayne. Let us know if you're warming up. I'm sensitive. My true thanks to see on social media platforms.
Speaker 4:Feel free to DM me. I need the support. I love grading hair. It's a passion, it is in me, it is everything, it's a whole experience and you won't be disappointed. So yes, check out Grades by True 6 to 6 on all social media platforms Book your hair appointment.
Speaker 1:Samil is professional, reliable, timely, and this is more than just doing your hair. She braids hair in a way that she wants to uplift your soul. I have a 15-year-old D'Arstin daughter. In these predominantly white spaces where it's hard to hold on to, your self-esteem Mildred my daughter's hair and for about six hours my daughter's back was to the mirror and when she turned that chair around and looked in that mirror, that validation and instant gratification she saw when she loved who she saw in that mirror brought all of us to tears. We literally cried in Tamil's shop and Tamil said this is why I do it Book your appointment with Tamil today. Sis Shemika, tell us about your organization and the work we can do to support you.
Speaker 3:Well, first I'm going to go book my appointment. My organization is In Child Party California. Our focus is on policy advocacy to support children and families experiencing poverty, but our work is rooted in the voices and experiences of Californians and families, particularly Black, indigenous, aapi and immigrant communities impacted as you talked about the structural inequities, and so please follow us at In Child Party California, but also you can follow me on Instagram at Shanika Speaks.
Speaker 1:This podcast episode is brought to you by my friend, mark Philpott and the Black Freedom Fund, who has been a phenomenal support in organizing community organizations to support Black families affected by the Eaton Canyon fires. On behalf of the Black Freedom Fund and Abolitionist Sanctuary, we want to gift each of you one month of mortgage assistance to assist you in your recovery process.
Speaker 3:Now you really want to make us cry, thank you.
Speaker 1:Now you're going to make me get these lashes about to come off. It is the least we can do and I hope other organization will match us and do even better to ensure that Black mothers and their families and others are supported during this Eaton Canyon. This is the final question and it is my favorite. It's called the rapid round, so I'm going to mention about 10 words. When I mention one, you say what comes to your mind immediately, so you can do it together at once or alternately. We'll do it together, let's work together.
Speaker 2:Okay, we'll work together.
Speaker 1:Altadena Love Love, washington Boulevard, the bookstore.
Speaker 4:If you keep going, you're not going to get nothing to eat.
Speaker 3:That's not good. Get nothing to eat, that's a good one, norma Alta.
Speaker 2:Oh, the park.
Speaker 1:So many memories Good childhood memories, beauty and ashes Strong.
Speaker 2:Our community Alta Vina.
Speaker 1:Yes, Restoration House of Vina yes.
Speaker 3:Restoration. Imagine my home.
Speaker 2:Kendrick Lamar, they not like Exactly, they not like us.
Speaker 1:Faith Deeply rooted. And the last one, abolitionolitionist.
Speaker 4:Sanctuary, a safe space.
Speaker 2:And a observable world.
Speaker 1:Thank, you both for joining us for this episode of Beauty and Ashes. Thank you for joining this conversation on the Abolitionist Sanctuary podcast. For those who are listening, please download and share on all platforms. Again, I am your host, Reverend Dr Nakia Smith-Robert, the founder and executive director of Abolitionist Sanctuary. You can find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and download our social media app, bringing together abolitionists and people who love freedom. Also, enroll in our courses and become certified in abolitionacitionAcademycom. Don't forget to become a member and join our mailing list at AbolitionSanctuaryorg. As we conclude this episode, remember that abolition is not only a practice, but it is a way of life, and for me, it is my religion. Thank you.
