KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 – A viral image of African-American firefighters in Maryland, US is turning gender and racial stereotypes on its head with its powerful message.
In the US, 96 per cent of firefighters are male and 82 per cent are white, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
In other words, the career choice has been white male-dominated for a long time.
But things may well be changing.
The viral photo which made its rounds on Instagram after it was posted by black history site Because of Them We Can shows eight African American female firefighters who are changing the face of the white male-dominated occupation.
The women are some of the newest firefighters in Prince George’s County in Maryland.
Since its posting in late January, the image has raked in over 20,400 likes and positive comments from social media praising the powerful and subversive snapshot by photography studio Stewdio Visuals.
The Upworthy article also wrote that while there is no answer as to why fire departments are so heavily dominated by white males but something cities have started exploring.
It then quoted the Los Angeles Times’ report of efforts by the Los Angeles Fire Department to increase diversity to reflect the demographics of a community.
“One possible reason for Prince George’s County's influx of black female firefighters might be who it hired as fire chief,” Upworthy reported.
It went on to explain that former deputy chief Tiffany Green took over the department as acting fire chief over the summer after her predecessor retired.
Green is the first female fire chief to lead the department and happens to be African American.
Recalling her first week at recruit school for the Prince George’s County Fire Department some 20 years ago, Green told The Washington Post in December 2019 she wondered where the women were in the academy.
In a separate report by WJLA, the women in the photograph had just graduated from the fire/EMS training program earlier last month.
“Research shows that representation makes a difference in education and in media, so it’s not a stretch to think that it matters in various career fields as well.
“If people don't see themselves reflected in certain professions, they may not even think to pursue those professions.
“Women have faced a lack of representation in many fields, as more women have entered the workforce in full-time careers in the past couple of generations,” reported Upworthy.
