A group of white Fire Department of New York (FDNY) firefighters was denied admittance to a test preparation study session organized by a fraternal order of black firefighters, according to news reports.
ny1.com reports that Merit Matters, a group that opposes a federal judge’s order to overhaul the city’s recruitment practices to end racial discrimination, claims that white firefighters were turned away from the study sessions (http://bit.ly/ywKgmh).
The sessions had been organized by the Vulcan Society, the aforementioned fraternal group, for prospective firefighter recruits. The Vulcans said that they allowed non-black students in for three nights in a row earlier this week, but they ran out of material Wednesday night and turned away everyone that had not been invited.
For more commentary on racial issues and hiring practices in the fire service, consider Merit should matter when hiring, FDIC 2010 Panel Tackles the Diversity Issue, Yelling ‘Fire’ in a Crowded Theater, Diversity: We Must Define This Issue Before We Can Solve It, A Matter of National Security, and Less Diversity Is Needed in the Fire Service.
