Unnatural disasters, from Gaza to Los Angeles

Ashes float from the sky and cover my car, the streets and everything around me. Five fires have been burning parts of Los Angeles for 10 days. On the afternoon of January 7, I notice fewer cars on the streets. The sky is grey, covering southern California’s golden sunset light, my favorite time to hike on trails I have grown to love, but I stay indoors. Meteorologists have issued warnings about high Santa Ana winds that are already causing havoc in the Palisades, 20 miles from me.

By 7 pm, I start receiving alerts on my phone. A new fire has broken out in Altadena, a neighborhood five miles away. I’m co-Poet Laureate of Altadena, along with Lester Graves Lennon, who has lived there for 20 years.

Altadena, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, has been a rare refuge for Black families since the 1960s, allowing them to purchase land, build homes and create generational wealth against systemic oppression. Though the area has gentrified considerably, the small town continues to serve as home for the highest percentage of Black residents in San Gabriel Valley.

That night, smoke enters my house and I spend the evening on my phone, monitoring the fires and responding to messages. I check on friends...

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