After getting my coffee and muffin, I wait at table in the coffee shop for my mentor. When she walks in, I’ve just taken the first sip of my all-black cup of energy with three sugars. I’ve known her for years, yet some things never change. She has a smile and energy to match the sun beaming in for the day. And a way of talking to me that reminds me of an aunt or grandmother. “You bought coffee already? How am I supposed to pay for your coffee if you buy it already?”
We are here to talk about a 4-hour storytelling workshop I’ll be teaching. We wanted to cover some details to make sure all the things the students needed are there. But before we going, my mentor ask the question: “Have you heard of the Freedom House?” I get ready to say “Yes,” but she rolls right into all the details. She attended the NAEMSP 2024 Annual Meeting. She heard John Moon, a former member of the Freedom House, speak about the organization’s impact on para-medicine in public safety. The Freedom House is an all-African-American organization credited with being the first paramedic program in the nation.
But I knew that. I’ve listened to the audiobook by Kevin Hazard, “American Sirens,” and watched the videos. I’ve spent the last few years of my fire service career sorting out how to stitch together the patchwork that is African American history in the fire service. So, sure, I found it, but it wasn’t easy. And I know how rare it can be to find the information. So, I completely understand my mentor’s excitement to find this Jem of fire service history.
The more this mentor talks, the more I get excited about what she says. The same way you re-watch your favorite movie because you love it, I listen to this account of the Freedom House for the same reason. We eventually get back to our coffee and our real purpose, but I can’t help but think to myself, “Man, I wish I could have been there.”
A few days later, I am sitting at my kitchen table, preparing to drink my first cup of coffee for the day. As I scroll through YouTube for no particular reason, I find the NAEMSP 2024 Annual meeting Keynote address by John Moon. Clearly, this means the more I drink coffee, the more African American history I can find. I want to have this bit of history as well. Feel free to take it all in. Coffee is optional.
Here is the link:
Stories, Jokes, and Talks with Folks 