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That was the day Williams left his young family in their
Bronx apartment to report to his new job as New York City’s
first (according to newspapers) black firefighter. It was a
45-minute ride to Little Italy, and he knew he could never
be late.
What he faced that day, and for months, wasn’t what he hoped
to get from the job. He’d receive a $1,500-a-year salary and
benefits of which few black men would dare to dream. He also
received discrimination, subtly and overtly, but Williams
persevered and thrived: in later years, he worked his way up
to battalion chief.
That was no easy feat for an African-American man in
early-to-mid 1900s America.
Though black citizens represented a good part of New York
City’s population, black “smoke eaters” were few in both
police and fire departments; often, just three percent of
the entire department. Early-on, they had little security or
clout, which is why Williams formed the Vulcans, a fraternal
order for African-American firefighters, in 1938. Still, Jim
Crow hazing, testing biases and lack of urgency in City Hall
kept many potential African-American recruits from the FDNY.
Some 80 years after Wesley Williams became a firefighter,
the situation was different, but similar: racism lurked
quietly in pockets of the FDNY, testing continued to be a
thorny issue, and there was still a disparity in numbers for
“Bravest” African Americans. The Vulcans had long lobbied
for change, with limited success and so, post-9/11, they
took a drastic and controversial step…
In a way, I saw Firefight as two distinct books in
one.
First, readers may be shocked to learn of the racial
imbalance perpetuated in such a large and esteemed
department in one of our largest cities, and what had to be
done to set things right. That account of modern-day
struggles is how author Ginger Adams Otis kicks her book
off, and though she winds recent happenings nicely around
that of the past, the many names and legal skirmishes can
become overwhelming for readers outside New York.
Fortunately, the history of New York firefighting and the
decades-old story of Wesley Williams comprise the other half
of this book, and the latter is compelling. It weaves
through Otis’ account of the present and tempers it; indeed,
if your mind wanders, it’ll snap back when Williams’ name
appears again.
Fire buffs in particular will appreciate this book, as will
anyone who loves a peek into the past with a dash of
excitement. Yes, part of it may be a challenge to follow but
the other half of Firefight will inflame you.
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