Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Representative Maxine Waters to Headline Black Community Forum in Pasadena

Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California speaks to the Service Union International Workers at a rally in 2020. [Shutterstock]

The inaugural State of the Black Community forum is set for Saturday at First African Methodist Episcopal Church, with panels on housing, health, education and Eaton Fire recovery

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters is scheduled to deliver the keynote address Saturday at a Pasadena forum examining housing, health, education, public policy, faith, wealth and the continuing effects of the Eaton Fire on Black residents of Pasadena and Altadena, according to event organizers.

The inaugural State of the Black Community forum is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 26 at First African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1700 N. Raymond Ave. The Black Clergy & Civic Alliance and Community Women Vital Voices are organizing the event. Organizers have published conflicting closing times of 2 and 3 p.m.

Panel discussions and Waters’ address are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Seating for that portion of the program is limited and requires advance registration. Organizers ask participants to register by Thursday, Sept. 24. Lena Louise Kennedy is listed as the event contact at (626) 625-1925.

Yolanda Gorman, president and CEO of the African American Board Leadership Institute, is scheduled to serve as master of ceremonies. Other participants include Pasadena City Councilmember Tyron Hampton and Antonio Manning, chair of the Eaton Fire Collaborative Leadership Council and president and CEO of Affordable Living for the Aging.

Organizers said the discussions will address Black wealth, faith, housing, health equity, education and public policy, as well as the Eaton Fire’s long-term effects. Activities outside the main program are open to everyone and are expected to include an art exhibit, vendors, music, film programming and the Black Main Street Cafe.

The forum comes as Pasadena and Altadena continue recovering from the January 2025 Eaton Fire. Los Angeles County said in July that the fire left Black Altadena facing the loss of generational wealth, cultural legacy and neighborhood connections.

Black residents represented about 10% of Pasadena’s general population but 38% of the people counted in the city’s 2024 annual homeless count, according to a July 2025 City Council report.

Waters has served in Congress since 1991 and represents California’s 43rd Congressional District. The district covers portions of South Los Angeles and the South Bay and does not include Pasadena.

First African Methodist Episcopal Church, led by the Rev. Larry E. Campbell, has served as a community resource site during the Eaton Fire recovery, providing internet access, supplies, meals, legal services and recovery workshops, according to the church.

First African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1700 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Saturday, Sept. 26, beginning at 9 a.m. For more call (626) 625-1925.