Episode 2: A Community Built Against the Odds

Altadena is California’s first Black middle-class community. We explore how Black families came here during the Great Migration, battled redlining, and fought for homeownership despite systemic barriers. Redlining kept Black families west of Lake Avenue, limiting their ability to build generational wealth—but they carved out a thriving, self-sustaining community. We also hear from actor Henry Sanders, best known for his role in Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar, who shares how the acting community came together to support him after he lost his Altadena home.