84-Year-Old Fire Survivor Leads Festival of Hope

At 84 years old and having just lost his longtime home to flames, Walt Butler could have stayed put and rested. Instead, he spent his Saturday handing out custom T-shirts to kids at Pasadena's Black History Festival, proving that some people just refuse to let disaster dim their light.

"If you rest too much, you just become lethargic," said Butler, a Pasadena sports icon known for his track and field career and decades of community advocacy. "We just need to do more for others."

The 44th annual Black History Festival at Robinson Park became something more meaningful this year. It transformed into a gathering place for resilience as the community continues recovering from last year's devastating Eaton fire.

Butler served as grand marshal, embodying the festival's theme of passing the baton to the next generation. Between chatting with attendees who called him "a perfect role model," he shared his vision for the future: teaching kids financial literacy, getting more youth into church, and helping the unhoused community.

"People need a chance to give themselves a fair chance," Butler explained. "And if we give ourselves a fair chance, we have less time to mistreat others."

The festival drew first-time attendees like Basirah Olawale, who brought her young children to celebrate their culture. "Representation is important," she said, wanting her kids to see their history honored.

Musical performances filled the park while booths educated visitors about local Black history, including "Amplify," an oral history documentary about families displaced by the 710 Freeway construction. The event also honored the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died February 17 at 84, for his civil rights work including integrating the Tournament of Roses leadership.

Sunny's Take

There's something powerful about watching someone who lost everything choose to give anyway. Butler's booth wasn't about what he'd survived or what he'd lost. It was about kids, knuckleheads (his affectionate term), and the future they represent.

First-timer Shanika Honeycutt captured it perfectly: "It's nice to be in a place where we're celebrating Black History Month and be with the community." In a year marked by loss, this festival reminded everyone that community doesn't burn down. It rebuilds, together.

Butler has no plans to slow down, and honestly, his community wouldn't let him even if he tried.