Pasadena Housing Group to Honor Advocates, Spotlight Black Legacy District, at Nov. 7 Celebration

Making Housing and Community Happen plans to honor three housing advocates at its eighth annual celebration in Pasadena on Saturday, Nov. 7, with a program also addressing affordable housing and the Black Legacy District.

The gathering, scheduled for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, will bring together speakers and community organizations involved in housing and neighborhood issues. It comes just weeks after the City Council approved a new plan recognizing the North Fair Oaks corridor as the Black Legacy District.

The organization said in an Oct. 29 press release that Michelle White will receive its John J. Kennedy award for her work on affordable housing, fair housing, and tenants’ rights for over 35 years in Pasadena.

The other honorees are Shawn Morrissey, whom the group describes as a formerly unhoused Pasadena resident who became a homeowner and advocates housing-first programs through Union Station Homeless Services, and the Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin, pastor of Holman United Methodist Church. The group said Cyrus-Franklin has helped advance 60 affordable housing units on the Inglewood United Methodist Church campus, where he previously served.

The keynote speaker will be Greg Comanor, a developer involved with Elysian Housing’s Rosemead Family Apartments project in East Pasadena. City records describe the proposal at 600 N. Rosemead Blvd. as 82 new apartments and 51 created by converting an office building. Of the planned 133 homes, 131 would be affordable units and two would be reserved for managers.

Anthony Manousos, a co-founder of Making Housing and Community Happen, is scheduled to speak about affordable family housing and school enrollment. Pasadena high school student and group intern Karina Toro will discuss her family’s experience living in affordable housing, the organization said.

The program will also mark the council’s Sept. 29 adoption of the Fair Oaks–Orange Grove Specific Plan, which included the Black Legacy District designation. A public art team associated with the group is soliciting designs for streetlight banners, which it plans to install beginning in January 2027.

Music and refreshments are planned. Registration is available for a $30 donation, according to the organizer’s ticket page. Free or reduced-rate admission is available for those unable to afford that amount by emailing anthony@makinghousinghappen.org.

NEED TO KNOW — Event: Making Housing and Community Happen 8th Annual Celebration. When: Saturday, Nov. 7. Time: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cost: $30 registration donation; free or reduced-rate admission available on request. Where: Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church of Pasadena, 500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more, call 626-993-7958 or visit https://give.socialgoodfund.org/campaigns/62mB7b.