Our Beloved Altadena is a community-driven anthology documenting personal stories, historical memory, and cultural resilience in the aftermath of the January 2025 Eaton Canyon wildfire. Curated by writer, editor, and filmmaker Nahshon Dion, the project brings together more than 65 invited writers, artists, organizers, and longtime residents whose voices reflect Altadena’s rich Black history, multigenerational migration stories, and collective recovery.
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, my former classmate Donny Kincey gave several interviews about losing his family’s homes and shared that his ancestors had been burned out of Tulsa before relocating to Altadena. When I heard that history echoing across generations — from Tulsa to Altadena — I knew I had to create this anthology.
What we are preserving is not only the story of a wildfire. We are documenting a lineage of displacement, rebuilding, migration, Black land stewardship, and intergenerational resilience that spans more than a century.
The anthology preserves lived experiences often excluded from traditional archives — elders, artists, displaced families, culture bearers, educators, and civic leaders whose narratives are essential to understanding Altadena’s past and shaping its future.
PRESS:
“This Is How I Help”: Nahshon Dion Gathers Altadena’s Stories After the Fire
‘Our Beloved Altadena’: Voices from the aftermath of the Eaton Wildfire, 1 year later
In the immediate aftermath of the fires, my former classmate Donny Kincey gave several interviews about losing his family’s homes and shared that his ancestors had been burned out of Tulsa before relocating to Altadena. When I heard that history echoing across generations — from Tulsa to Altadena — I knew I had to create this anthology.
What we are preserving is not only the story of a wildfire. We are documenting a lineage of displacement, rebuilding, migration, Black land stewardship, and intergenerational resilience that spans more than a century.
The anthology preserves lived experiences often excluded from traditional archives — elders, artists, displaced families, culture bearers, educators, and civic leaders whose narratives are essential to understanding Altadena’s past and shaping its future.
PRESS:
“This Is How I Help”: Nahshon Dion Gathers Altadena’s Stories After the Fire
‘Our Beloved Altadena’: Voices from the aftermath of the Eaton Wildfire, 1 year later