NAACP Image Awards Shine Spotlight On Altadena Fire Victims Via Morris Chestnut, Ledisi Tribute: “Not Lost Is The Spirit Of Our Community”

deadline.com:

Currently underway live from the Pasadena Civic Center, this year’s NAACP Image Awards is putting a spotlight on Altadena residents who have experienced devastating loss following the Los Angeles wildfires in early January. “Homes were lost, stores destroyed, countless lives shattered and over two dozen souls gone forever, but what was not lost is the spirit of our community and our resilience, especially that of our brothers and sisters who live just a short distance from here in Altadena,” presenter Morris Chestnut said in his tribute.

The historically Black neighborhood houses generations of families, and was once home to renowned sci-fi writer Octavia E. Butler, whose Parable of the Sower has seen renewed popularity given its eerie prescience regarding Southern California’s recent natural disaster.

On stage, Chestnut introduced 22 Altadena residents who had lost their homes, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd of attendees. “It is in times like these that we show the world our strength,” he continued. “From the moment the crisis began, we joined together, everyone pitched in, shelter was given, clothing was donated, food trucks came from miles around to feed the hungry, ministers reached out to feed our need for comfort and spiritual healing.

And of course we can’t thank our first responders enough for their courage and heroism.” The Watson star then drew attention to the BET and CBS program’s charity work: the NAACP, BET Media Group, WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett and Kole (JSSK) partnered with L.A.