I wrote a post about the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects in Los Angeles and its cultural significance to Black Angelenos, but it was tucked away in my drafts. When I heard about Rodney Nickerson’s death in the Eaton Canyon Fire, I decided to edit and share it.

I hate the circumstances, but it opened up an opportunity for me to thank a family that touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of Black migrants from the South to Los Angeles during the Great Migration, including my grandmother, grandfather, mom, and her eight siblings.