Racial Discrimination Against Black Firefighters in the US

Introduction: A History of Unethical Practices

Unfortunately, there is a lengthy history of unethical practices regarding African-Americans and fire departments across a variety of locations and regions throughout the United States. The majority of these unethical practices have revolved around conceptions of race and its surrounding connotations, which remain all too prevalent even in contemporary times. There have been a number of specific instances in recent years in which African-American firefighters have had to pursue litigation and other options as a means of challenging these unethical procedures within one of the most fundamental and necessary institutions in this country.

The effects of these measures have resulted in reverse discrimination lawsuits from other firefighters, monetary awards, and grounds for promotions for some African-American firefighters. Perhaps one of the most troubling aspects of this longstanding tendency in American society is that even in the early 21st century, this pattern shows little sign of stopping — despite the fact that certain departments and cities have been forced to take proactive measures to ensure they are not on the receiving end of discrimination lawsuits.

The Fraternal Culture of Fire Departments

The prolonged history of difficulty for African-American firefighters regarding unethical promotional practices spans several decades, if not longer. In order to understand why, it is necessary to examine the nature of fire departments throughout virtually any municipality in which they exist. Fire departments are largely fraternal organizations — despite the presence of a small number of female personnel — and this character has several tangible ramifications. As a fraternal organization, much like the police department, there is a tradition of favoritism and nepotism, as well as a certain public and private sense of prestige that encompasses what are often highly coveted positions, particularly given the significant wages such employees can earn.

Subsequently, it has traditionally been difficult for African-Americans to enter such organizations, as the following quotation makes apparent: "Hiring African-Americans into the fire department has always been a begrudging issue. The environment and culture of the firehouses have been compared to those of country clubs. Its unique environment, in which the firefighters live together in the firehouse, created a bond and exclusiveness that proved difficult to break down and diversify when hiring minorities. As a result of this country club culture, generational 'inheritance' into the department, low turnover, and discriminatory testing, being African-American with aspirations of becoming a firefighter could, at times, be a daunting effort" (Wisconsin Black Historical Society).

Discriminatory Testing and the Promotion Process

Of particular significance in the preceding quotation is the reference to discriminatory testing, which has all too often been the catalyst for allegations of unethical behavior in the marked scarcity of promotions for African-Americans within fire departments. A substantial body of examples exists in which procedures for promotional testing have served as the basis for charges of discriminatory measures on the part of both fire departments and the municipalities they represent. In order to properly explore the allegations of discrimination that have affected a number of African-American firefighters, one must understand the role such examinations play in the promotional process.

In many instances, there are multiple determining factors for deciding which employees will be able to advance to the upper ranks of fire departments. However, in most departments across a variety of cities, written exams — occasionally supplemented by oral components and physical elements — are the primary determinants for selecting individuals to be promoted. As employment discrimination law recognizes, tests that produce racially disparate outcomes may constitute illegal discrimination even without discriminatory intent.

The Houston Lawsuit: Biased Examinations and Settlement

One of the most salient examples of this practice can be found in the Houston, Texas fire department, in which seven African-American firefighters pursued legal action on the basis of being discriminated against because they did not score high enough on an examination. The crux of the issue is that the seven firefighters — Dwight Bazile, Johnny Garrett, Thomas Ward, Mundo Olford, George Runnels, Trevin Hines, and Dwight Allen — actually received scores sufficient to pass the written examination that served as the primary basis for selecting candidates for the positions of captain and senior captain.

However, the way this particular exam works — as is the case in many other fire departments — is that candidates who achieve the highest scores are awarded the promotions. So, despite the fact that these seven individuals passed the test taken in 2006, none of them were promoted, while the vast majority of high scorers — and newly named captains — were Caucasian.

When the group decided to pursue litigation in 2008, their claims were largely based on allegations that the exams were inherently racially biased. The specific wording of the legal action filed against the city of Houston and its fire department claimed that the examinations "have an adverse impact upon African-Americans," and that "whites who passed the exam were promoted at more than twice the rate of blacks who passed, according to the suit. It also claims that studies and research in organizational psychology demonstrate that written job knowledge exams have little value in predicting who will perform better in the positions at stake" (Moran, 2011).

It is noteworthy that this lawsuit was eventually settled out of court and that the group of African-American plaintiffs was granted upwards of $300,000 for lost wages as well as attorneys' fees. While some of the group had retired from active duty, those still employed by the Houston fire department were awarded captaincy status — all of which strongly suggests the degree of institutional complicity in this matter. According to an anthropologist who specialized in education, a frequent cause of the disparity in scores between Caucasian and African-American firefighters on such written examinations is due to "blacks more often receiving an inferior education than whites and minorities' vulnerability to performance anxiety that stems from stereotypes" (Moran, 2011).

Further evidence of the tacit admission of culpability issued by the Houston fire department is the fact that the department planned to utilize a new examination following the settlement. The new examination was to be carefully reviewed by a testing agency to ensure that there is no bias on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Conclusion

It has been conclusively demonstrated that there is a history of unethical practices in the promotion and hiring of African-American firefighters that continues throughout contemporary times. In some respects, it may be considered encouraging that certain cities are making efforts to change their promotion and hiring policies in light of this documented pattern. However, there remain a vast number of cities for whom such practices have largely gone unnoticed and unchallenged.

References

Cosgrove, M. (2011). "Federal appeals court reinstates African-American firefighter discrimination suit." Paper Chase News Burst. Retrieved from http://jurist.org/paperchase/2011/08/federal-appeals-court-reinstates-african-american-firefighter-suit.php

Moran, C. (2011). "HFD exam lawsuit settled for 7 black firefighters." Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HFD-exam-lawsuit-settled-for-7-black-firefighters-1687065.php

No author. (2011). "Organization history." Stentorians of L.A. County. Retrieved from http://lacostentorians.org/about.htm

No author. (n.d.). "African-American firefighters: Our brothers under fire." Wisconsin Black Historical Society. Retrieved from http://wbhsm.homestead.com/brothers_under_fire.html

Reese, R. (2011). "Black firefighter hopefuls who sued 16 years ago turn out for physical testing." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-02/news/ct-met-chicago-firefighter-testing-20111102_1_firefighter-quinn-fire-academy-testing