What is the Oakland Black Firefighters Association?
International Association for Black Firefighters (IABPFF)
To understand the Oakland Black Firefighters Association (OBFFA), one must first understand that the OBFFA is just one chapter in the larger International Association for Black firefighters. The International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters (IABPFF) is a professional organization founded in 1970 to address the challenges faced by Black firefighters, promote their professional development, and increase diversity and equity within the fire service. The IABPFF provides support, education, networking, and advocacy for Black firefighters, working to recruit and advance them to higher ranks while also fostering unity and brotherhood within the fire service and its communities.
South West Region
The Oakland Black Firefighters Association (OBFFA) is International Association for Black Professional Firefighters (IABPFF) Chapter in the South West Region. Other Chapters in the South West Region Include Chapters from San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Pasadena, CA, Colorado. For the full list Chapters of not just the South West Region but of the 6 other regions as well CLICK THE LINK HERE
Oakland Black Firefighters Association
In 1968 Black firefighters from Alameda, Berkeley, Hayward, San Francisco, Vallejo, and Oakland assembled at the home of Earnest A. Robinson II in the Highland Terrace neighborhood of Oakland. Their goal was to create an organization focussed on the recruitment of Black candidates to the fire service, support the promotion of Black firefighters within their respective organizations, advocate for the welfare of Black firefighters in all bay area departments, and open a line of communication and attention to issues facing the Black community (both in and out of the fire service).
Over the course of five years, as the unique jurisdictional issues of each department necessitated smaller more focused associations, the Bay Area Association of Black Firefighters was dissolved and, in 1973, the Oakland Black Firefighters Association was established. The OBFFA is a counter space designed to help Black firefighters navigate a historically white male institution that, until 1920, excluded Black firefighters.
The OBFFA formally continues a long held tradition of recruiting Black candidates to the fire service and supporting Black firefighters throughout their careers. In pursuing this mission we believe we have and continue to advance the interests of all communities of color and minoritized groups. Our vision is reflected in the Oakland Fire Department as one of the most racially diverse departments in the nation. This directly aligns with the City of Oakland’s mission to provide a “work force that values and reflects the diversity of the Oakland community”.
We are forever indebted to the legacy of our elders and ancestors who were Oakland’s early Black firefighters.
