Historically, African-American women have served in dual roles as both firestarters and fire extinguishers. However, the eyes of society still light up when we see an African-American woman who has chosen the career path as a firefighter.
The reality is that women have played a major role in the fire service ever since the 1800s when an enslaved Black woman named Molly Williams served as a volunteer firefighter in New York City a volunteer with the Oceanus Fire Company #11 around 1815. Williams was the first known Black female firefighter in the U.S. On April 1, 1963, 16 African-American firefighters joined the Atlanta Fire Department at Station 16.
Fourteen years later, Atlanta’s first seven African-American female firefighters, hired in 1977: Louvenia Jenkins, Emma C. Morris, Janice Jones, Liz R. Summers, Lisa Bradley, Shelia Callaway, and Sheila Kirkland.
Summers was later promoted to Battalion Chief. Now, a retired battalion chief, she said, “I left a legacy.
I paved the way for the other women, other minorities, not just women."