Fire charred Altadena. DEI is under attack. Can these music activists help save both?

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When Willie “Prophet” Stiggers founded the Black Music Action Coalition at the height of racial justice protests in 2020, the world’s attention was on righting historical wrongs. Five years later, it’s a very different environment for that work — from the federal government on down to an exhausted and angry citizenry.

How can a group dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion keep momentum going in the face of hostile executive orders, investigations and a general corporate retreat from responsibility? On top of that, with Altadena — one of L.A.’s most cherished neighborhood for Black musicians — destroyed by January’s Eaton fire, the need for support is both immediate and existen