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A mural in Pasadena will honor its immigrant neighbors. Here’s how to join in
The mural will be painted at the Pasadena Job Center, which has connected day laborers to employers for decades.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
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LAist
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Topline:
Over the next few months, the Pasadena Community Job Center — which connects carpenters, painters, roofers, drywall installers and other workers with local employers — and the artist group 3B Collective will guide community members through the creation of a mural honoring their immigrant and working-class neighbors.
Why it matters: The 2024 Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of buildings in northeast L.A. County, and these workers are helping local families rebuild. However, since last summer, the Pasadena area has been subject to multiple immigration raids. In response, community members held a vigil in January in protest of the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort. In March, the job center led a caravan of community members to the Adelanto immigrant detention center.
Never painted before? No problem: According to the organizers, you don’t need any experience to participate in the project — “just a love for art and your community.” For the first brainstorming sessions, the organizers ask community members to bring photos, objects or stories that can serve as inspiration for the mural. “Art is a great teacher of the history that we’ve gone through, but it also gives us a vision of what we want [in the future],” said José Madera, the job center’s director.
What's next: The project will be carried out in phases. After the brainstorming sessions, the artists will present mock-ups. Then, participants will be invited to join community paint days. The first brainstorming session will take place at noon Friday, Sept. 18, at the job center, located at 500 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena. For details and reminders, you can sign up here.
Go deeper: As Los Angeles burned, Latino immigrants rushed in to put out fires
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