The Eaton Fire ravaged Altadena, California, destroying homes and livelihoods. Immigrant day laborers, organized by NDLON, have emerged as crucial figures in the rebuilding effort, demonstrating their vital role in strengthening communities.
Lay leader Aviana Springs collects ashes from the remains of Altadena United Methodist Church, which burned in the Eaton Fire, on January 31, 2025, in Altadena , California. Bernardo Osprio, a 60-year-old day laborer from Pasadena, couldn’t believe his eyes as he surveyed the devastation caused by the recent wildfires in Altadena , California. Having lived in southern California for more than 36 years, Osprio was no stranger to the region’s fire season.
But the scale of destruction wrought by the Eaton Fire, which burned through over 14,000 acres of land, was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. When he returned to the fire-ravaged area, he found many of the homes he had once worked on reduced to nothing but rubble. Traces of what had once been families’ lives — their kitchens, bedrooms and backyards — were now nothing more than ash. For many residents of Altadena, fleeing the flames meant abandoning their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs, unaware it would be their final glimpse of what they had built there.The disaster brought out the best in many communities, with people offering labor, materials and services to help rebuild. Cities like Pasadena became hubs for organizing food, clothing, and other forms of aid for those affected. Among those on the front lines of recovery were dozens of day laborers, including Osprio, who have partnered with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). Founded in July 2001 in Northridge, California, NDLON began as an alliance of 12 community-based organizations aimed at improving the lives of day laborers across the U.S. Over time, it has grown into a national network, driven by a passionate staff focused on social justice and grassroots connections. NDLON’s significance has only deepened in the context of ongoing immigration and labor debates, especially during Donald Trump’s second presidency, marked by intensified anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. Many of NDLON’s immigrant workers have deep ties to Altadena, a historically Black and Latino neighborhood, and now they are playing a key role in its restoration. ‘We are part of this community,’ Osprio said, a sentiment that resonates with many immigrant workers leading recovery efforts in the wake of the disaster.Altadena, a working-class enclave that’s home to generations of Black and Latino families, was decimated by the fire. Osprio, who had relied on his work in the area as a handyman, found himself facing an uncertain future. The fires destroyed not just his clients’ homes but also his livelihood, leaving him wondering what would become of the families he had worked with for years. Recalling the first week of evacuations, Osprio said, ‘The situation was terrible — just the uncertainty and fear of what could happen next. It’s very dangerous still, many homes were destroyed, and the fumes and ash still remain in the atmosphere.’ The prospect of several families coming together — representing four or five blocks or even an entire section of a community — creates a powerful force. When recovery efforts began, Osprio jumped at the opportunity to assist the cleanup crews. He quickly became a leader of the service brigade made up entirely of day laborers. Their matching orange uniforms bore a powerful slogan: ‘NDLON: For the Communities, By the Communities.’ The words on the uniforms serve as a powerful reminder of the critical role immigrant laborers play — not only in rebuilding homes but in revitalizing the very fabric of southern California’s communities. Altadena, nestled in the Verdugo Mountains of Los Angeles County, has long served as a refuge for Black and Latino families striving to build better lives amid systemic challenges. Just 14 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the community has historically been a place where homeownership was a hard-earned aspiration and where generational wealth was slowly and steadily being established. But the Eaton wildfire destroyed many of those aspirations, especially in Altadena’s historically Black community. For decades, residents had worked relentlessly to build stable homes and businesses, often overcoming the lasting effects of redlining and other systemic barriers to create a sense of permanence and prosperity. Altadena is home to many families who trace their roots back to the Great Migration, when many Black people fled the racial violence and economic disenfranchisement of the South for the supposed promises of California’s sunny skies and economic opportunities. By the mid-20th century, Altadena had become a thriving center for Black culture and entrepreneurship, with families investing their hard-earned money in homes and small businesses. Latino families, similarly, have made Altadena their home for decades, drawn by the same opportunities for upward mobility and the hope of creating a stable future for their children. But while both communities have been able to establish themselves within this historically Black neighborhood, their paths to financial security have been fraught with obstacles.
WILDFIRES IMMIGRATION LABOR COMMUNITY RECOVERY Altadena CALIFORNIA NDLON
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