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the
Minneapolis Fire Department. From when it opened in 1907 to when it closed in 1941, dozens of Black firefighters served at the station. After its closure, there were no Blacks in the city's fire department for thirty years. The city's fire department was not racially integrated again until 1972
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Cheatham was married to Susie
Cheatham. They owned a home at 3020 20th Avenue in Minneapolis. John and Susie had four children, Ethel, Bertha, Gilbert, and Wesley. Susie Cheatham died in 1906 from typhoid at the age of 46. John Cheatham died on August 15, 1918, at the age of 63, from chronic
343:. The petition obtained 30,000 signatures, according to activists. After consulting with residents on Dight Avenue and offering several options, city officials decided to honor Cheatham's legacy by renaming Dight Avenue after him, with the re-designation taking place on March 17, 2022.
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neighborhood that was predominantly White, but it was also adjacent to a railroad yard where many Black labors worked. White firefighters at Fire
Station 24, and some nearby residents, initially objected to Black fire fighters being assigned to the station.
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and support via a petition from White women who lived in the area, the fire station continued with the assignment of Black firefighters. Cheatham worked at the station until his retirement in 1911, after 23 years with the fire department.
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in 1899, but was demoted back to pipeman a year later for refusing to comply with an order from a White firefighter who held the same rank as him. Cheatham worked at several fire stations in
Minneapolis in the first part of his career.
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Cheatham's first job with the fire department was as a pipeman. He was promoted to a driver after three years with the department, and after about five years he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He then obtained the rank of
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The city sold Fire
Station 24 after its closure and it was used by a variety of private industrial businesses. In 2021, several organizations and activists sought historic designation status for the station building.
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Cheatham and the other Black firefighters resisted being replaced by White firefighters at Fire
Station 24. Cheatham said about the situation that he was "drawing the color line and drawing it stiff”. After debate by
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In 1907, Cheatham and two other Black firefighters, Lafayette Mason and Frank Harris, were assigned to be in charge of Fire
Station 24 at Hiawatha Avenue and 45th Street, a
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Cheatham Avenue is one of a few named streets in
Minneapolis where most streets are numbered. The street runs for 10 blocks on the city's southside, running parallel to
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firefighters in
Minneapolis. He held several leadership positions during his fire department career. In 2022, the City of Minneapolis re-designated a street in the
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754:"50 Years of Integration: Federal Judge Earl Larson issued a decision 50 years ago this month that desegregated the Minneapolis Fire Department"
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587:"Former Hennepin County judge pushes for historic designation for fire station that opened with an all-Black fire crew in 1907"
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The community thought highly of
Cheatham during his fire department tenure. His firefighting received praise in the
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facility that officials were transitioning to an all-Black firehouse. The station was in middle of a
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by a White fire chief. He was either the first, or one of the first, Black firefighters in the city.
807:"Press Release: Disability Justice Network Prevails on petition to change the name of Dight Avenue"
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727:"Firefighters 'emotional' after touring largely forgotten all-Black Minneapolis fire station"
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697:"Once far from the city, an old cemetery on busy Lake Street hosts some famous Minnesotans"
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Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis: Research on the History of the African American Community
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780:"Petition asks to rename Minneapolis street named after eugenicist who praised Hitler"
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The former Minneapolis Fire Station #24 (the two-story white building) circa 2014.
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Cheatham and several other Blacks assigned to Fire Station 24 were the first to
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to honor his legacy of racial integration within the city’s fire department.
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requested that the City of Minneapolis rename Dight Avenue, a street in the
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558:"John Cheatham: One of Minneapolis' First African-American Firefighters"
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of 1862. Shortly thereafter, at the age of eight, his family moved from
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Gallery: The Minneapolis Fire Department's path to racial integration
863:." Hennepin County Community Works (2009). Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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459:"South Minneapolis street now honors a pioneer Black firefighter"
395:"Historic Preservation: Fire Station No. 24, Potential Landmark"
495:"Minneapolis street renamed for city's first Black firefighter"
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In 1888, at the age of 33, Cheatham was appointed to the
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Cheatham worked as a laborer. He held jobs as a church
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List of name changes due to the George Floyd protests
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Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
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888:Racial Segregation at Fire Station 24 (1907-1941)
138:, Cheatham was freed at the age of eight by the
923:19th-century United States government officials
528:"Preview of "Stories Under the Stones" Special"
273:in Minneapolis alongside other family members.
646:"History Preservation: All Black Fire Station"
360:2020–2021 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
291:after being ordered to do so by federal judge
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331:that had been named decades earlier for
166:John W. Cheatham was born in 1855 to an
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365:Firefighting in the United States
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142:, and then moved to Minneapolis,
130:. Born as an enslaved person in
836:Longfellow Business Association
427:Brooks, Jennifer (2021-12-25).
671:"Minneapolis Fire Station #24"
178:. His family was freed by the
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339:, but who also advocated for
269:. Cheatham was buried at the
918:19th-century American slaves
725:Huppert, Boyd (2021-08-14).
122:(1855–1918) was an American
948:People enslaved in Missouri
752:Furst, Randy (2021-03-20).
585:Furst, Randy (2020-12-07).
493:Croman, John (2021-12-28).
335:for his efforts to promote
244:Minneapolis city councilors
207:Minneapolis Fire Department
112:Minneapolis Fire Department
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913:African-American activists
695:Roper, Eric (2020-06-23).
457:Nelson, Tim (2022-03-17).
110:Racial integration of the
886:Hennepin County Library,
180:Emancipation Proclamation
140:Emancipation Proclamation
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928:People from Minneapolis
876:. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
675:Adventures in Cardboard
622:Friends of the Cemetery
256:newspaper at the time.
464:Minnesota Public Radio
370:History of Minneapolis
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943:American firefighters
933:People from St. Louis
333:Charles Fremont Dight
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832:"Dight Ave Renaming"
329:Longfellow community
152:Longfellow community
16:American firefighter
399:City of Minneapolis
253:Minneapolis Journal
231:racially segregated
288:racially integrate
282:Racial integration
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785:Bring Me The News
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840:. Retrieved
838:. 2021-09-28
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813:. 2021-09-24
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624:. 2005-05-23
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564:. 2020-06-04
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536:. 2020-12-11
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325:Noah McCourt
317:George Floyd
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267:endocarditis
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79:Burial place
908:1918 deaths
903:1855 births
337:food safety
293:Earl Larson
128:Minneapolis
124:firefighter
101:Firefighter
67:Minneapolis
897:Categories
842:2022-01-01
817:2021-09-24
792:2021-06-01
765:2021-03-20
738:2021-08-14
708:2020-06-23
681:2022-01-01
656:2022-01-01
628:2022-01-01
598:2020-12-07
568:2022-01-01
562:Black Then
540:2020-12-11
506:2021-12-28
470:2022-03-17
440:2021-12-25
381:References
315:following
172:U.S. state
162:Early life
97:Occupation
309:aftermath
184:St. Louis
144:Minnesota
132:St. Louis
89:Monuments
71:Minnesota
48:St. Louis
354:See also
341:eugenics
321:petition
313:protests
235:redlined
176:Missouri
168:enslaved
136:Missouri
52:Missouri
732:KARE-TV
500:KARE-TV
307:In the
215:captain
677:. 2022
652:. 2022
277:Legacy
200:porter
196:sexton
190:Career
148:Black
198:and
63:1918
60:Died
44:1855
41:Born
311:of
174:of
154:as
126:in
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