Black firefighters file discrimination complaints against City of Memphis
Five lieutenants in the Memphis Fire Department have filed a complaint that alleges the battalion chief’s test has favored white candidates. (The Daily Memphian files)
Several veteran Memphis firefighters are alleging the Memphis Fire Department’s promotional testing process is discriminatory toward Black employees.
At least five MFD firefighters, all of whom are currently lieutenants, have filed complaints against the department with the City of Memphis’ Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, according to sources within the fire department. The firefighters say the test for the rank of battalion chief favors certain candidates — particularly younger, white employees with less experience — over others, such as tenured Black employees.
The Daily Memphian obtained one of the complaints through a public records request.
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Memphis Fire Department Memphis Fire Department Chief Gina Sweat Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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