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If you were to imagine a typical firefighter, chances are you'd picture a white man in firefighting gear—and there's a good reason for that. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 96% of career firefighters in the U.S. are male and 82% are white. Firefighting has long been a white male dominated field for various reasons—but in some places that's starting to shift.
Danielle Scott and Angelica Suffren became the first two black women to referee an NBA game, making for an intersectional feminist win.
Marc J. Spears, a senior writer for ESPN's The Undefeated, noticed the women during the July 3 summer league game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even those facing punitive justice are celebrating what's happening. One Georgia man got a parking ticket, and he brought his daughter to court so she could see the women running it.
"He had heard about us in some kind of way, and he wanted his daughter to see this combination of black women handling business," public defender Vivica Powell said about the experience. "He had a ticket and I wondered why he had his little girl with him. Most of the time, people do not bring school-aged children to court. He told me ... this is why he brought her."
Her recent come-up is especially notable given her difficult childhood. Haddish and her siblings entered foster care after their mother was diagnosed with a debilitating mental illness as a result of a traumatic brain injury.
Haddish had behavior issues and a tough time in school but never lost her quick wit and drive. She never stopped grinding in pursuit of a career in comedy. Decades later, she’s finally getting her due.
