In response to white Chicagoans mocking the first Black fire crew in 1872, they wanted to prove themselves as good, if not better

CHICAGO -- The year after the Great Chicago Fire, city officials kept their fingers crossed and hired six Black firefighters. The Tribune reported on Dec. 6, 1872, that a Black fire company would be stationed on the foot of May Street, and cautioned those who might decide to protest: “Any infringement on the rights of the members by the people residing in the vicinity will be punished by the ...

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