Wednesday, June 3, 7:30 PM
Ginger Adams Otis presents Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York’s Bravest
In conversation with Paul Washington, Mike Marshall, and Regina Wilson of the Vulcan Society
Moderated by journalist Tom Robbins

As the controversy surrounding race and police use of force has escalated in recent months, the question of who gets to hold the civil service jobs that define and defend communities has taken on new urgency. But in New York, it isn’t a new issue at all: for the past 150 years, the city has been served by a fire department that was almost entirely white and male – until a determined group of black activist firefighters filed a civil rights lawsuit to break the color barrier. Based on nearly 10 years of reporting and interviews with firefighters, Firefight: The Century-Long Battle to Integrate New York’s Bravest is a powerful narrative from veteran reporter Ginger Adams Otis that delves deep into the struggle of black firefighters to truly integrate the FDNY, and sheds light on the long, painful effort to achieve the still-elusive “post-racial” America. Otis talks about this story with members of the Vulcan Society, the fraternal organization of black firefighters, who feature prominently in her book: Captain Paul Washington, Lt. Mike Marshall, and Regina Wilson, current president of the Vulcans and the first woman to hold that position. The discussion is moderated by journalist, organizer and CUNY professor Tom Robbins.