LOS ANGELES – EBONY Media released “Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires,” the first short film in its new multimedia series, EBONY Voices, which spotlights human interest stories that connect and uplift communities.

The film centers on three long-time Altadena families as they navigate loss, rebuilding, and the decision to remain in a historically Black community disproportionately impacted by the disaster.

"Standing in the Ashes reflects what EBONY Voices was created to do —center humanity, honor legacy, and ensure our communities are not reduced to statistics in moments of crisis," said Eden Bridgeman Sklenar, EBONY Media CEO. "These families remind us that rebuilding is not just about homes, but about protecting history, culture, and the right to remain rooted where generations before them built a future."

“Standing in the Ashes” features Staci and Thomas Andrews; Ronda Carson and her mother, Barbara Carson; and Antoinette "Toni" Bailey-Raines, a community leader recognized as a 2025 EBONY Power 100 Community Crusader for her work co-hosting Altadena Talks, a grassroots radio show and podcast launched in response to the fires.

The Eaton wildfire in 2024 claimed 19 lives and destroyed or damaged 9,418 homes and buildings. At least 60% of the homes affected were Black households.

A data study from UCLA's Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies found that 61% of Black households in Altadena were located within the fire perimeter, compared with 50% of nonBlack households. Nearly half of Black households experienced destruction or major damage, and a majority of Black homeowners in the area are over age 65, increasing vulnerability during recovery.

“Standing in the Ashes: One Year After the Altadena Fires” is available on YouTube: https://www.ebony.com/ebony-voices-remembering-altadena/.

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