Laugh the Pain Away
The Eaton Canyon fire happened in January 2025, but for many families, the story did not end when the flames went out. Parents are still rebuilding.
Sometimes laughter sounds different with tears.
It is not the laughter that comes from pain. Not the dark humor snickering.
It is the laughter that comes when you have carried something heavy for so long that you need a moment to breathe. You need that moment, because on tomorrow and the day after that and for an unforeseeable future, that moment, if not so serious, it might be funny.
Because the truth is, Altadena is still carrying a lot.
The Eaton Canyon fire happened in January 2025, but for many families, the story did not end when the flames went out. Parents are still rebuilding. Children are still adjusting. Families are still navigating what it means to find some sense of normal while so much around them has changed.
And yet, here we are.
Still standing.
Still gathering.
Still finding joy.
Sometimes the tears come because the pain is real. Sometimes the tears come because you are laughing so hard you cannot catch your breath. And sometimes you reach a point where you say: damn it, I need to laugh.
That is the spirit behind Stand Up for Students, a comedy night benefiting Pasadena Rosebud Academy on Sunday, July 12, at the Alex Theatre.
But before there is comedy, there is a story.
A story about a school.
A story about a community.
A story about an institution that has spent nearly twenty years holding students down — and now needs the community to hold it up.
If you know Altadena, you know Rosebud.
You know the families.
You know the children who have walked through those doors.
You know the teachers and staff who have poured into students year after year.
The impact of a school is not always measured in the moment.
Sometimes you see it years later.
The Bennett family is one example.
Perry Bennett, owner of Perry’s Joint, has built more than a sandwich shop. He has built a gathering place. A place where people stop, talk, eat, and reconnect.
That has always been Perry’s way.
Quiet.
Consistent.
Community first.
His children are part of the Rosebud story. Both attended Pasadena Rosebud Academy, went on to earn undergraduate degrees, and are now pursuing master’s degrees.
That is what happens when a school becomes more than a school.
It becomes part of the foundation of a community.
I have often said that if Wakanda were a real place, Altadena would be one of its communities.
Not because it is perfect. But, because it's as close to perfect.
But because of the way generations of Black families, educators, entrepreneurs, and neighbors have built something here. Protected something here. Invested in something here.
And in that Wakanda, Rosebud Academy would be educating the next generation.
Then January 2025 changed everything.
Rosebud lost its campus in the Eaton Canyon fire.
The classrooms.
The learning spaces.
The familiar place where students and teachers spent their days.
But the school did not lose what made it a school.
The people are still there.
The teachers are still teaching.
The students are still learning.
Rosebud continues serving families from a temporary location while so many in this community continue their own recovery.
That resilience is what caught Chris Spencer's attention.
“I’ve been doing comedy my whole career, but some shows mean more than others. This is one of them,” Spencer said in a press release statement. “Pasadena Rosebud Academy lost its building but never lost its mission — and that kind of resilience deserves a standing ovation.”
And maybe that is why this night matters.
Communities do not survive only by rebuilding what was lost.
They survive by remembering what was always there.
The people.
The relationships.
The institutions that helped shape generations.
And sometimes, they survive by laughing the pain away.
Chris Spencer and friends will take the stage for Stand Up for Students, featuring Reg Thomas, Felicia Folkes, Chase Anthony, and Jesus Trejo, with DJ Iesha Irene bringing the music and energy throughout the evening.
The event is supported by community partners including KBLA Talk 1580 and Brad Gage Law APC.
Stand Up for Students takes place Sunday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Alex Theatre.
Tickets are now available for “Stand Up for Students” through the Alex Theatre box office and TheAlex.com. Proceeds from the evening will support Pasadena Rosebud Academy and its students as the school continues its rebuilding journey.
We’re going to laugh the pain away.
And damn it, I need a laugh.
