Experiences of institutional racism

Black firefighters experience institutional racism in forms that include double standards and negative stereotypes, according to a recent study by CORD Fellow James Wright II and CORD Graduate Fellow Victoria Pham (ASU School of Public Affairs). The findings, published in Review of Public Personnel Administration (ROPPA) with Collin Cox (Florida International University), are based on interviews with Black firefighters conducted in 2021 in a medium-sized fire department in the southern U.S.

Using deductive and abductive qualitative analysis, the researchers highlight a perverse set of self-reinforcing consequences in this racialized workplace: as the Black firefighters had on average two years' experience, they reported heavy scrutiny from supervisors and coworkers, which negatively impacted opportunities to provide feedback to improve workplace policies, and in turn impacted opportunities for career advancement. The unequal scrutiny, questioning, and skepticism experienced by Black interviewees extended to frontline interactions with the public—an example of the interplay between institutional and structural racism.

Read the full article, "Code Red: Fighting Fires, Racism, and Policies in Emergency Safety Services," here for discussion of extending the study of institutional racism in emergency services jobs.