“This year, we’ll be celebrating our 40th year. I want to always acknowledge those on whose shoulders I stand—from David J. Floyd, our first president to Johnny Brewington our seventh president and all of their administrations and those who have worked with them. They were the ones who taught me the history. They were the ones who taught me the importance of setting objectives. They were the ones who taught me the power of networking. They were the ones who showed in their actions that we must always look at turning adversity into advantage, turning obstacles into opportunities, and turning trials into triumphs.”
FIRE 20/20 is deeply appreciative to have Johnny Brewington on our Board. He opened the door for us to be at the table with IABPFF in its quest for equity and diversity. It is a privilege to share with you more about Joseph Muhammad—the leader as teacher.
His story …
“I grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I was blessed being born into a family of educators. My mother was a biology teacher for 30 years at Atlantic City High School. My father spent 25 years in education—the first 15 years teaching English and history at Atlantic City High School and ten years as an English teacher at a high school in Toronto (Canada).
“At the dinner table, I heard conversations about prepositional phrases from my father and conversations about protoplasm from my mother. Until I went out in the community, I didn’t realize that few children had parents talking about such things.
“My father was an only child but his mother decided to raise other children as a foster parent. My mother was one of twelve children. Most of my uncles and aunts were educators too. They were great role models and it was inevitable that after graduating from college (Norfolk State University), I would work in education and human services.
“When I was 27, my brother-in-law, Warren Ogburn, and some other African-American firefighters I knew were engaged in a recruitment initiative. I didn’t know at the time that they were members of the Vulcan Society of Westchester.
“Prior to submitting my application, no one who knew me had ever heard me say that I wanted to become a firefighter. The benefits beyond the salary were appealing as was the time off but they also cautioned me about the process taking a long time. ‘You may not be considered until two years from now and you can’t predict what your life will be like.’ That was okay with me and I actually looked forward to the experience of taking a civil service test.
“As fate would have it, almost two years to the day I took the civil service test, I got a call from the City of White Plains asking me if I would consider becoming a firefighter. I was 29 years old and had two sons. It would be a challenge. It would be different. I said, ‘Yes.’
“The Vulcan Society—founded in 1974 which was four years after the founding of IABPFF—had an unwritten law that they wouldn’t mess with any probationary firefighters. Once firefighters passed probation, the Society could offer what membership meant to them and to those of us just coming into the fire service.
“After I was on the job, I quickly came to understand how helping to recruit African-Americans into the profession required preparing us with not only the knowledge, skills and abilities of the job but for the climate we would be coming into. Even though it was 1986 when I joined, a court consent decree established in 1980 had resulted in a considerable number of firefighters in White Plains having a very sour taste in their mouth. In their opinion, the decree was molded and shaped as though it was a quota program. The Vulcan Society didn’t want the young men—there were no women and there have never been any women firefighters in White Plains—to be blind-sided beyond what it took to become a firefighter.
“My first day at the station after completing the academy, I was seated at the table in the kitchen ready to eat lunch when my Lieutenant said to me, ‘Son, I don’t know what you’ve heard about racism on this job but it doesn’t exist here.’ I was about to take the first bite of my sandwich when he said that. My thought was, ‘Okay, I didn’t have to die to reach Utopia.’ I couldn’t tell him that. So I said to him, ‘Yes sir. If you say so, sir.’ And then I went on to eat my sandwich. The irony is that he was one of the people that I was warned about.”
Hit and miss progress …
“I’ve been constantly involved with recruitment initiatives since I joined because that’s how I got here.
“In 1986, with 170 firefighters, I was the 13th black on the job. Twenty-four years later, the size of our department is the same and there are 15 black firefighters. That’s about to change because we have retirements coming up.
“White Plains is a very expensive place to live. It’s accessible from Southern Connecticut, New York City’s five boroughs and Rockland County, making it a commuter city. There can be 300,000 people in the city during the day but there are only 54,000 residents.
“Blacks make up about 12% to 13% of America’s population. That’s the same percentage here in White Plains. I’ve been told that our Latino community is as high as 25%. There are five Latino firefighters.
“In the black community, if youth excel academically, they don’t necessarily see the fire department as being a first priority—going to college comes first. Unfortunately, there are a lot of youth at the other end of the spectrum who get in trouble with the criminal justice system. Our results are mixed with youth in the middle. Post 9-11, the military has attracted a lot of our young people, and some of them do not see the fire service as a viable career alternative until their mid to late twenties or older.
“Regarding the recruitment of women … In my humble opinion, women firefighters have really never really been considered in Westchester County. In the four major cities—New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Yonkers, White Plains—in my whole career, there have only been two women. Mount Vernon, which is predominantly a black town, had one woman who couldn’t take it and left. Yonkers just hired a woman whose husband is a Lieutenant. She was passed over the first time she was on the list. There probably was a potential or pending law suit that helped to determine the decision. The former union president is now the Fire Commissioner. If there was a desire or will to hire women before now, I don’t see why it could not have been accomplished.
“There are also covert ways to circumvent the intent of the law. When I got on the job in 1986, the public safety director had a management style and leadership skill reminiscent of J. Edgar Hoover. I studied this gentleman’s mode of operation until he retired in 2001. A new public safety director came from New York City and he had a more progressive attitude, promoting more blacks than the previous administration. We recently had a mayoral election and now have a new administration so we will see what happens.”
Ricci vs. DeStefano …
“The decision has been made and we will respect it, although we do not agree with certain aspects of it.
“There is the belief by many of our members that the Ricci case made mockery of those who have fought on behalf of blacks and women. There is also the belief that the Ricci case has created a lightening rod for ‘those on deck’—to use baseball terminology—waiting to submit their reverse discrimination law suits.
“Given our current economic, political, and social climate in America, there are quite a few people who are dissatisfied, confused, and/or very angry right now. Because of this, I see a lot of recycling of the past. Also, law suits are most times the catalysts for harassment in the firehouse. Unfortunately, there are still nooses in cities. Concerned Americans and law abiding citizens are becoming increasingly aware of such negative activity. We will not tolerate the madness, and no one else committed to the upward mobility of our profession should either.
“The decision did not impact Title 7 and the 14th Amendment as much as we thought it could have. And that’s encouraging.”
What else is encouraging …
“There is vindication in U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis’ ruling that NYFD has discriminated against black applicants but we have to wait and see if the decision is appealed.
“I am encouraged by what I hear coming from U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran.
“I am encouraged by being at the table with the Congressional Fire Service Institute and other organizations that heretofore did not give us an opportunity to sit down with them. Having a dialogue is an important first step in finding some common ground to do something together on behalf of the fire service profession.
“I was in Washington, D.C. a month ago with IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. It was a positive meeting and at the Human Relations Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, he affirmed his leadership’s commitment to improving a relationship that too often historically has been antagonistic. I believe he is sincere, yet neither one of us is naïve. Our challenge is at the local level to see if there will be buy in. Their stance can be defiance instead of compliance, and as you know, you cannot legislate someone’s way of thinking.
“I never want our organization or myself to be painted in a corner where we’re viewed as complaining. When it comes to equal representation and just participation, our organization welcomes the effort, and I am obligated to stay steadfast.
“Having peace of mind and contentment of heart in our beliefs and values, keeps us going forward. We must do that because we are in the business of making this profession better for the future which means that we must make it better for our children.”
On being a Muslim …
“In 1991, I became the President of the Vulcan Society of Westchester as a result of the unforeseen death of then President Lieutenant Ronald Sanders of the Mount Vernon Fire Department. In 1993, three days before the first bombing of the World Trade Center, my brother-in-law Warren Ogburn, died in the line of duty. Both of these young men believed in being proactive, improving personal and professional development, as well as increasing the ranks with candidates of integrity. Both of these men were responsible for my quest to see my life as a father, a husband, a role model, and an organizer through a more serious lens. I believe their testimony helped me to become a better person.
“After Warren’s death, I made the declaration to accept the five principles of Islam—believing in one God, prayer, charity, fasting, and a pilgrimage which means a journey.
"While I transitioned in 1993, I had been studying ten years before that—on a quest for truth, involving myself in different schools of thought, never discarding one to become involved with another.
“Having come through the church, I am often asked, ‘Did you discard Jesus Christ?’ No, I have a deeper understanding of what he believed in.’ Prophet Muhammad believed in similar things. Whether you’re a Christian, or a Muslim or a Hebrew, the three claim the prophet Abraham as the father of their religion. So they really aren’t very different. Of course, we could debate that but life is too short and too sweet. For me, it is not either/or. It is as natural as breathing. It is all of the above.
“The definition of a Muslim is submission to God’s will. Even though I didn’t classify myself as a Muslim at birth, the fact that I came through my mother’s womb after nine months meant that I submitted to God’s will. Islam simply means peace, good hospitality and clarity of speech. That was appealing to me.
“Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, would say, ‘I want for my brother and sister what I want for myself.’ That was appealing to me.
“Now when 9-11 occurred, it became difficult for Muslims because of the misunderstanding of what Islam is. I could not make it to Ground Zero because I was doing security on the roof of my mosque. We watched the devastation on TV wondering if someone who was ignorant or misinformed would attack our mosque. I accepted the challenge to help overcome the fear of my religion.
“As fate would have it, I got calls from pastors and rabbis and politicians wanting to know more about Islam.
“At the first meeting with White Plains’ religious leadership community, I said ‘When I took my family to church every Sunday and sang in the choir, it was considered honorable of me as a father to do that for my family. I’m a drum instructor for the drum corps and we march Memorial Day and we’re marching with children who if they didn’t have the drum corps to keep them structured might be doing some negative activity. So I hope my being a drum instructor is considered honorable. I do substitute teaching everyday at the high school and I hope I’m respected for that. If your home caught on fire last night while I was working, I would have been in the position to save you, your family and your property. My profession is considered honorable. Now I am here as a student of scripture, classifying myself as a Muslim. Am I any different?’
“That was the beginning of beautiful relationships!”
IABPFF …
“I believe that our organization is as significant to the fabric woven into the tapestry of America as the Tuskegee Airmen, the Negro Baseball League, the historical black colleges and universities, and one of America’s original music genres, jazz.
“These past 40 years, we have had to have the discipline of the military, the athleticism of sports, the information and research capability of the colleges, and the improvisation and syncopation of jazz.
“I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve and continue to do what those have done before us: recruit the desired, retain the dedicated, raise the devoted, reproduce the design and then retire, hopefully, with dignity.”
