In this special bonus episode, we sit down with Dr. Brent Musson—a public policy specialist, real estate development professional, and three-time Altadena Town Council member—for an in-depth conversation about Altadena’s rich history, the legacy of Black homeownership, and the challenges that residents face after the Eaton Fire.

He explains how decades-old policies continue to impact rebuilding efforts today, and why protecting Altadena’s legacy is more urgent than ever.Through his personal stories and professional expertise, Dr. Musson offers a blueprint for resilience, rebuilding, and what it truly means to fight for the soul of a community.

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Lesson: The Fire Is Over, The Fight Isn’t.

Not every home in Altadena burned to the ground—but that doesn’t mean every family made it home. In Episode 5, we meet Stacie Bolden, whose house survived the Eaton Fire—but remains unlivable. Months later, she’s still locked in a cycle of red tape, adjusting to a new way of life she never saw coming.

We also hear from nationally renowned Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt, who grew up nearby in Pasadena. He shares his personal connection to the fire, what community organizing looks like in a time of crisis, and why rebuilding goes far beyond bricks and permits.

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In this episode, we meet Erion and Stephon Taylor, who lost everything when the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena. With just minutes to escape, they fled with their three children and Erion’s 75-year-old mother-in-law. When they returned, only a single Dutch oven—still sealed from the night before—remained. Now, as developers circle and pressure builds, families like the Taylors are standing their ground, sending a powerful message: Altadena is not for sale.

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Mimi Brown is back to take us inside the heart of a California community forever changed by the Eaton Fire. In Episode Three of her five-part docu-series, "To Altadena, With Love", we hear from Staci Mitchell, who shares the chaotic moments of evacuating her family and the troubling delays in evacuation orders for the west side of town.

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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.

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Journalist Mimi Brown recounts her experience evacuating during the fire and learning about its devastation in Altadena, a historic Black middle-class community. We explore the scope of destruction - over 9,000 structures lost, with Black families disproportionately affected.

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