Royal Towns

Royal Towns was one of the very first African Americans to join the Oakland Fire Department. The OFD was incredibly segregated at the time, and it was almost unheard of for African Americans to hold any public position. Once accepted to the department, Towns held classes to help other African Ameri cans obtain a career in fire service. As a result of his effort, the OFD hired 25 black employees between 1946-1954. Towns was also an avid photographer and his photographs provide a lens into the experience of black fire fighters in the early 1900s.