@TiffHobbsOnHere | DEI & Black History month, wildfire clothing donations, restaurants lost to L.A. fires plan to rebuild

you think. It's actually a lot broader than that, and Maya opened up the conversation in a very skillful way to share her expertise about what DEI is and what it isn't and how all of us will be impacted as these DEI rollbacks continue moving from one disaster to another. The fires are now one hundred percent contained, both the

Eton Fire and the Palisades Fire. That is wonderful news, but the next phase of recovery is well underway with people trying to navigate this new direction that they are in, this new place that they are in, whether they have lost their homes or their businesses, whatever the case, the County of Los Angeles is dealing with a lot of recovery efforts, and you can continue to donate through KFI

as we partner with the Dream Center. Those donations are still ongoing, so you can get out there to the Dream Center and donate online at kfiam six forty dot com backslash donate of which they are collecting things still for people who are victims of the fires. One thing that they ask people do not donate at the Dream Center and at other donation centers is clothing. We have found out through these fires that Angelino's people in southern California and Orange County as well a lot of clothes.

And when we want to rind ourselves, when we want to purge ourselves of all of those extra clothes, we are quick to donate. But the problem is when those donations pile up, when there's nowhere for those those donations to land, When donation centers have no further need for your old t shirts and jeans and coats and shoes and socks and everything else that you have so generously given,

Where do these clothes go? And that is a big question being asked in the Guardian, and the title is overwhelming. What happens to fifty pounds of extra LA wildfire clothing donations. This is a big issue. This article actually reveals that a lot of the clothing that is collected is often outsourced or taken to landfills. And there's an issue happening right now with landfills as the airs of the Palisades and Altadena and Pasadena are looking to dispose of their

toxic waste. You've been hearing it here on KFI. There are landfills that have been designated to receive that toxic waste, and residents in both both the Palisades and the altadenapacity in the area have pushed back against those collection sites, those dumping sites, sighting environmental concerns, health concerns. People don't want toxicity near where they live, and that is totally understandable.

But often we think of toxicity in this case as ash as perhaps oil or something else that might be more chemically toxic, But in fact, clothing is a part of that toxicity. And let me tell you a little bit about what's happening with one specific organization, one business that is hoping to be able to assuage the Los Angeles area of this fifty extra fifty pounds of clothes collected from wildfire donations. There's a sewing shop. It's called

Sway Sew Shop. It's in the La Arts district down there in downtown and they have been collecting surplus donations from the wildfire donation centers and community groups that these groups were unable to distribute because they already had too much, or as we have found out, because these items were dirty,

damaged or poorly made. There were lots of complaints during the collections of clothing over this last three weeks that clothing was coming in very worn, very dirty, very poorly made, and people were speaking out and they were very incensed

and rightfully so that people were seemingly donating their trash. Well, this company, the Sway Sow Shop, has collected all of it and instead of letting the clothes go to a landfill, which in fact does cause a host of environmental problems, this company, swaysoa Shop, has taken this fifty thousand pounds of clothing so that they can be cleaned, sorted and

upcycled by professional designers and seamstresses and seamsters. So the clothing that is being donated that has nowhere to go and people have no use for, will be collected, cleaned, repaired, and re sold right back to you. It is a cycle that is interesting. I did not know that, Kayla. Did you know that? I had no idea. Did you donate anything? No judgment, but have you donated anything that items but money?

what's happening. It's being sold right back to you, Kayla. No, the shirts we're wearing today could have very well been collected at a donation site, cleaned, refurbished, and sold back to us at a higher price. That's messed up there, and that's what's happening. This is the revelation in all of this. When it comes to donations and collections, it also shines a light on over production. We have been

consuming quite a bit. In twenty twenty, studies came out that showed that people were shopping a lot more, especially online, and a lot of that shopping was in terms of fast fashion, much of which has been collected during these donations are at these donation centers. They are citing fast fashion items as being something that they've received a lot of. That's your kind of cheaply made clothing, your trendy clothing, things that are season to season, not something that people

could potentially keep. Because of these surplus donations now being sold back again, it is shining a light on that over consumerism. And from this article, it says that a

disturbing eighty five percent of all textiles end up in landfills. So, whether a fire or another disaster, whether you're just donating out of the goodwill of your heart, a lot of what you are donating when it comes to clothing is ending up in landfills where these clothes emit methane gas and leech chemicals and dyes into our soil and ground water. We must be really dirty, we are emitting methane gas.

I thought that was really relegated to cows. But apparently our clothing is so chock full of chemicals and whatever we're putting inside of our clothing your body that when put into a land phil it is contributing to major environmental hazards. So continue to donate. Make sure though, that you are not just ridding yourself or or purging your closet of your trash. Of course, we keep saying that week to week as we help these unfortunate people who

are victims of the wildfires navigate their new reality. But just know that if you do, in fact donate clothing going into the future, your clothing is being repackaged and resold to you. Something to think about as you look at your closet. Something else to think about is where you plan to visit as the rebuilding phase from the fires continues. And I'll have a list of restaurants that plan to rebuild, hope to rebuild as there as this next phase of recovery is underway. So I'll share that

with you when we come back. Kf I AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio apps.

repackage and resell it back to you. We did have a talkback who said, yeah, you know, I've gone to the Goodwill and they don't do that. They don't clean anything. This is supposed to be true. I cannot fully qualify it, but I have heard that as well. We're not talking about just goodwill. We're talking about actual boutiques that are getting the clothing and repackaging it and reselling it to consumers. So it's a vicious cycle. This donation stuff is and

it comes from a good place. But they don't need your clothes anymore, ladies and gentlemen. They need other things, and you can check the Dream Center's website to find out what they need specifically. As iHeart continues to pair with them and their recovery efforts. So talking about the fires again, we're seeing one hundred percent containment for all of the fires. We are now for the first day in I think the last thirty days, I saw a

stat there are no active fires in southern California. And that is something that is to be applauded sadly, because wow, we spent an entire month checking our watch duty app and expecting the next fire to spring up, and like clockwork, they were. As we know, the Palisades fire and Eaten fires were extremely destructive, with tens of thousands of acres burned about ten thousand now close to businesses and structures burned as well, and of those structures, many are hoping

to rebuild. Of those businesses, many are hoping to emerge from the flames, so to speak, renewed and rebuilt so they can continue serving the community. If we're talking about Malibu and the Palisades, there were quite a few restaurants that burned. Moonshadows is one, bitari another. There's Cafe Lux unfortunately that was burned, and the Malibus excuse me, the popular real In in Malibu over there on PCH. You

may have seen it driving by. They are just on the north side of PCH as you are driving kind of northwest on PCH and you'll see that beautiful chalkboard out there with their illustration or menu. It's a very popular spot, been there for thirty two years and unfortunately

it burned to the ground. That reel In on PCH in the Palisades fire, well, the owner is looking to rebuild and he has taken to go fund me to launch a campaign to not only be able to rebuild, but to also pay his employees as they are now out of work. But he does expect to rebuild on the same site. The owner and he is working with California State Parks on a plan to do just that.

So the Real Inn is saying don't worry, will be back, and I know that is music to my ears because I really enjoyed visiting the Real in the numerous times I went. Another restaurant that hopes to come back in Malibu is the Chilada Thai Restaurant, a beloved place by locals and visitors as well. The Chilada Thai Restaurant in Malibu there has been operating for twenty five years and they're also looking for support online via GoFundMe to be able to rebuild in the same place. And that is

very important to these business owners. They know that location is not only everything, but that it ties them specifically to the community, a community that has seen them there for twenty five thirty plus years, and to move it to a new location these restaurants could be disruptive to

their overall culture. You can look for those two restaurants to rebuild in terms of the Outadena area Pasadena area and that Eaten Fire Altadena lost Everest, Burger's, Cafe de Leche, and also the Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, and the Little Red Hen Coffee Shop was a family run soul food restaurant. But their owner says that they are going to rebuild. They are going to rebuild, They are going to rebuild in the same place, and that they are

also looking for your support on their go fundme. They're looking for fifty thousand dollars to finance the rebuilding of their business, which has been there for over twenty years. I believe, so just another idea of what people have lost, cornerstones of these communities, homes as well as businesses that really made up the cultural specificity in the Palisades, in Malibu, in Alta Dina, and the ambitious efforts that are now underway to rebuild, and not just rebuild, but in the

exact same spot with which the fires occurred. When we come back, we're going to talk about events around southern California for Black History Month. I want you to get out there and I want you to enjoy yourself. You deserve it. You deserve to get out there and do something nice during this month of February, in which there are many wonderful events that celebrate the contributions of Black Americans.

In this country, and I'll tell you about where you can go from Los Angeles to Orange County to do just that. When we come back. KFI AM six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

office and he declared something. He made a proclamation, and it was somewhat unexpected and probably a little ironic for others, because his proclamation was made on the heels of the critiques of things that would in fact probably be the antithesis to this proclamation. Okay, And what I mean is President Trump sat down and he proclaimed February twenty twenty

five as National Black History Month. From President Trump's mouth to your ears and from my mouth to your ears, because I'm telling you that President Trump sat down and he said, quote unquote, throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country's most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural

and political destiny of our nation in profound ways. He goes on to say, this National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic golden age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to Black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my administration.

He went on to say, I Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February twenty twenty five as National Black History Month. So because President Trump has proclaimed that February, as we are now in today's February first starts Black History Month as it has for many, many, many years, I want to share with you ten events

in southern California that are celebrating Black History. And this is around Los Angeles and Orange County, and these are events that you can get out to and indulge yourself and enjoy. The first one is really apropos It is the African American Firefighter Museum. So if you want to take the kids down to a museum dedicated to firefighting,

this is a wonderful opportunity. It says. You can explore the history of the African American Firefighter Museum, which opened in nineteen ninety seven and is located inside fire Station Number thirty. The fire station was one of two segregated firehouses in LA between nineteen twenty four and nineteen fifty five and is recognized as the only free standing museum dedicated to Black Americans in the fire service in the

United States. That is at fourteen oh one South Central Avenue in LA and they are open every Sunday from one to three p m. That is the African American Firefighter Museum. Admission is free. Admission is free the African American Firefighter Museum, fourteen oh one South Central Avenue Sundays from one to three pm. If you're into photography, you can visit the I Am a Man Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement Exhibition in Temecula, so you can get

out there to Temecula at the Temecula Valley Museum. The admission is five dollars. It is being held Tuesday through Sunday, February third, which is Monday through March twenty sixth, so they have an extended run and you can get out there and see this exhibition which focuses on the civil

rights move between the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies. There are photographs taken by amateurs, local photo journalists, and international photographers that are chronicling the civil rights movement that's out there in Temecula at the Temecula Valley Museum two eight three one four Mercedes Street. These are Black History Month events.

This one goes until March twenty six If you are into poetry and you are near Temple City, you can go through to the Empower Through Poetry Workshop hosted at the Temple City Library and it will teach teenagers how to write and structure poetry by analyzing black writers who have used the art to express themselves and their identities

through American history. And these foundational works of poets date back to the Annabellum period, which is slavery and you can see how Poets Tree has been used again to reflect the times. And that's a wonderful opportunity for teenagers to get out there in Temple City and take this workshop. Admission is free and it will be held this coming Friday, February seventh, from four to five pm, so right after school at the Temple City Library. You can take your teens,

maybe your preteens down there. I don't see an actual age limitation here, but I bet if you go, they will not turn you away. Let's say you're into Motown. You like Motown, don't you revisit the classic songs and stars of the Motown era in music history, American music history. And this will be held in Thousand Oaks at the Janet and Ray Sure Forum Theater, the Janet and Ray Sure Forum Theater, twenty one hundred East Thousand Oaks Boulevard from three pm to seven thirty pm next Saturday, one

week from today. Motown Mania. You can get out there. It's an R and B review show, so you'll get all the singing, all the theatrics. It's a wonderful time, wonderful way to observe and celebrate black history in terms of music, and the tickets can be purchased on ticket Master and they start at sixty four dollars. So these are prime tickets for a real true motown R and B review that rhymed they should use me for their advertising. Get out there and visit some of these beautiful and

wonderful events. When we come back, I'll tell you of a few more around the city of Los Angeles, around Orange County, and how you can observe Black History Month that President Trump has proclaimed as being. So don't get mad at me. Point your fingers and your vitre all at President Trump who says, hey, you need to get out there and celebrate Black History. Be mad at him all you like. We'll come back and talk more about that. K I Am six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio.

for Black History Month. He's been very complementary of black culture and has been very encouraging of me as a host, and you know, identified himself as a white male and wanted to make sure that I knew that not all white males were, you know, thinking that I'm a DEI higher. He really wanted to speak positively about equity and diversity, and I thank you for that, Jeff Briggs. And I just hope that I can be as intellectual as him one day. And just he's so smart, this Jet Briggs.

He really was really well spoken, so well spoken. I appreciate what he said. Very active member of society clearly, and we think his exit, yeah, so good for his existence. Absolutely. I hope he, you know, sends us more. Definitely talk about his talkback set on the air. Okay, So getting

back to this Black History Month list. If you are in Lawndale and you like to paint and you like to sip on the veno a little bit, so I'm speaking to myself here, there's a paint and sip for Black History Month, and you can enjoy an afternoon of creativity while learning about a featured artist in celebration of Black History Month. This is for beginners and art enthusiasts alike. Registration is required and you must have an La County

Library card to be a part of this event. The admission for this event is free with that library card and you can register at visit dot La County Library dot org. That will be held at the Lawndale Library one four six one five Buren Avenue in Lawndale next Saturday, February eighth, three pm to four p m. So this is a paint and sip. It does not say if this is open to all ages or if this is strictly for twenty one and over, but I think if it is a paint and sip, you know, maybe bring

that purse wine with you. Put that wine in your purse so you can enjoy yourself. Let's do one more if you are into film. If you're into film, you can visit the Sola Monte Glass Booth in Rancho Cucamonga ninety two hundred Milliken Avenue. You know what, No, you can't. You can't visit It actually happened today, So sorry about that. But you should visit anyway because they do have an exhibit that's going on for Black History Months, but you won't be able to engage with it the way that

you would if it were in the future. So let's skip to this last one. This is orchestra. If you're into the orchestra, which I love, and you love to see kids performing in orchestral music, you can visit La Voices Black History Celebration with Inner City Youth Orchestra of LA. This is at the Wilshire Ebail Theater over there on Wiltshire Boulevard, right off between eighth and Wilshire forty four zero one West eighth Street, Los Angeles. That's next Sunday,

February ninth, from four pm to seven pm. That's the Black History Celebration with Inner City Youth Orchestra of LA. All La Voices events are free of charge, but you must register for tickets online. You can go to the Wilshire Ebel Theater website to do that. And this is a beautiful composition of music in collaboration with African Americans for La Opera. A very special evening. Also, someone who's here for a very special evening, a very special person indeed is Michael.

going to talk about with these fires. Yeah, is you know, why don't we, uh, why don't we figure out what the problem is and then fix the problem and not worry about who our political hero is, yes, and what their reputation might be on the other side of this thing like that should be less like who cares which political team wins. I mean a lot of people just went through the worst event of their life, the city, worst event in city history.

Winston talk about her take on DEI. She's the professional, the consummate professional, the expert on the matter, and she can explain to you what DEI is and what it isn't, how it helps and how it will hurt now that it is being removed. And then you'll also be able to hear back all the topics that we discussed here, including facts about the crash between that helicopter and that American Airlines plane, and as well what happens to all

those clothes you've been donating. Pro tip, stop donating your clothes, just stop buying clothes. We're already over consumerist as is. It's been a blast. Thank you so very much. I hope you enjoyed this show. Happy Black History Month. Got to get it in there. Make one last person a little upset before I go home. All right, have a good one, guys. It's been fun. Uh KFI AM six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.