Posted on 01/08/2025 6:17:13 PM PST by God luvs America
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Firefighting departments nationwide have tried to diversify their ranks for years. They have made only modest progress. Today, the profession remains overwhelmingly white and male. From member station KQED, Farida Jhabvala Romero reports on one program in California that's trying to change that.
FARIDA JHABVALA ROMERO, BYLINE: I first met Lupe Duran in 2017, just weeks after his home was destroyed by a massive wildfire in northern California. The 23-year-old welding student was overwhelmed with loss, sleeping on relatives' couches. But the disaster made Duran realize he didn't want to feel powerless against any fire.
LUPE DURAN: Well, it was the feeling of wanting to do more, wanting to actually help and give back to the community.
ROMERO: Today, he's well on his way to becoming a firefighter paramedic. He's enrolled in a unique program preparing people of color and women for careers in the fire service. It's called Fire Foundry, a nonprofit collaboration between Marin County and area universities.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Wow - that’s horrible. I hope you had a good career elsewhere.
it turned out to be a blessing. The irony is i never dwelled on it- just moved on- and forgot about it. Granted this was about 1986.
Merit and ability meet DEI.
YW
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