by Selam Aster
Considering that New York’s population is 26% Black, the fact that Blacks only constitute 3% of the firefighting force is pretty dismal. Certainly, there are enough Black men looking to enter the in-demand field of firefighting.
FDNY captain Paul Washington recently testified in federal court about the rampant racism in the fire department. Citing an example following 9/11, Washington said that someone defiled a flyer announcing a memorial service for black firefighters.
Somebody scrawled, “What about the white guys?” and added a list of black entertainers, including The Jackson 5, Gary Coleman, Fat Albert, Tupac Shakur and Sean Combs.
The word “black” was written over the request that guests wear a dress uniform “with white gloves.”
“It speaks for itself,” said Capt. Paul Washington, 49, former president of the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization for black firefighters.
He said that after he intervened, a white firefighter came forward to take responsibility and was punished “in an unofficial manner.”
(Source: New York Daily News)
News of discrimination is not new within the FDNY. A federal judge previously ruled that the last two FDNY exams were discriminatory. Fire commisioner Salvatore Cassano recently testified the department is working to improve diversity in hiring. It’s certainly needed.
