LA County debuts "Reclaiming Home: Black Altadena Rebuilds" documentary, honoring the legacy and rebuilding

The story of Altadena's Black community, before and after the Eaton Fire, is the subject of a new documentary created by Los Angeles County, and it's premiering Thursday night.

The film follows four families over the last 18 months, each with different timelines, different priorities, and different fears, as there are concerns that generational wealth could be lost.

Homeowner John Hickambottom shares his story in "Reclaiming Home: Black Altadena Rebuilds," as he is rebuilding his childhood home.

"We are going to save our steps up to the front door," he said standing on the old stoop with new wood steps.

He said for him and many other neighbors, it feels like it wasn't just the homes that were lost, but the history of how West Altadena came to be.

"My parents and a lot of their friends came to Altadena, and came to this very street and were not redlined," Hickambottom said.

Redlining was a common practice in the not-so-distant past, for his parents it was 1964.

"They could not buy a home in the same places that white families could buy homes because real estate agents had a written and unwritten rule that they would not have Black families move into certain white neighborhoods," he said.

A UCLA study found that around 48% of Altadena's Black households were destroyed by the Eaton Fire, or sustained major damage.

Which is why Los Angeles County chose to produce a documentary giving Black homeowners like Hickambottom, a platform to preserve the past. 

"In order to really understand what was lost, we have to first understand what existed," Executive Producer, Judith Green said. "The story had to be told…."

Another alarming fact is that a majority of Black Altadena homeowners are over the age of 65, making them vulnerable to incomplete or insufficient insurance coverage, according to the UCLA study.

As for the Hickambottoms they were underinsured, and like many others, they are coming out of pocket to finish, adding new touches to the house his parents once made home.

And although he's not sure if all his neighbors will return, he's thankful to give a voice to his community, so others know, what truly made Altadena strong.

"Reclaiming Home: Black Altadena Rebuilds," premiers 7 p.m., Thursday, July 31 at Loma Alta Park.. Events start at 6 p.m., and a panel discussion led by CBS LA's Pat Harvey takes place at 7:30 p.m.