Black Fire: Portrait of a Black Memphis Firefighter

by Robert J. Crawford, Delores A. Crawford

Overview

Robert J Crawford was one of the first 12 black firefighter hired by the City of Memphis. He came through the ranks as the first black battalion chief, deputy chief and deputy director. This book details his experiences as a boy growing up in Memphis and as a black firefighter.

This is a first hand personal experience of what black firefighters faced from a systemic manipulation to deny them opportunity and examples of tactics used to "get rid of them."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596293281
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/10/2007
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	942,948
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.32(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

Robert J. Crawford, Sr. was the first black driver, District Chief, Deputy Chief, and Deputy Director of the City of Memphis Fire Department. With each position he was the highest-ranking black firefighter within the city's fire department. He earned various certificates and awards for his firefighting skills. Robert retired as a thirty-three year veteran of the city's fire department. Robert lives in Memphis with his wife, Delores.
Delores A Crawford, who collaborated with Robert, has published in Writers on the River, a local writer's club magazine. She has also published a poem, "Leaf in the Fall," in World of Poetry Anthology.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements     9
Brief History of Memphis's First Pioneer Black Firefighters     13
Growing up in Memphis     15
Leaving Memphis     35
When Opportunity Knocks     39
Training     47
Unwritten Rules     53
Not Without a Fight     65
Separate But Not Equal     73
Gentlemen's Agreement     79
Whose Side Are You On, Anyway?     87
The Pioneer Progress     101
You Are Not a Tree     111
Talk Little, Learn Much     119
Unacceptable Compromises     125
The Future is Now     133
Disjointed Alliances     141
And Still We Stand     149
About the Authors     159