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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
354:. 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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765:"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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598:"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
197:, Missouri, to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cheathams were among the first Black families to reside in Minneapolis.
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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.
818:"Press Release: Disability Justice Network Prevails on petition to change the name of Dight Avenue"
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738:"Firefighters 'emotional' after touring largely forgotten all-Black Minneapolis fire station"
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708:"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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791:"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.
440:"Minneapolis will change infamous street name to honor trailblazing firefighter"
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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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569:"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
874:." Hennepin County Community Works (2009). Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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470:"South Minneapolis street now honors a pioneer Black firefighter"
406:"Historic Preservation: Fire Station No. 24, Potential Landmark"
506:"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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899:Racial Segregation at Fire Station 24 (1907-1941)
149:, Cheatham was freed at the age of eight by the
934:19th-century United States government officials
539:"Preview of "Stories Under the Stones" Special"
284:in Minneapolis alongside other family members.
657:"History Preservation: All Black Fire Station"
371:2020–2021 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
302:after being ordered to do so by federal judge
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342:that had been named decades earlier for
177:John W. Cheatham was born in 1855 to an
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282:Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
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46:Portrait of Captain John W. Cheatham
661:International Leadership Institute
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376:Firefighting in the United States
334:drive led by disability activist
153:, and then moved to Minneapolis,
141:. Born as an enslaved person in
847:Longfellow Business Association
438:Brooks, Jennifer (2021-12-25).
682:"Minneapolis Fire Station #24"
189:. His family was freed by the
1:
350:, but who also advocated for
280:. Cheatham was buried at the
929:19th-century American slaves
736:Huppert, Boyd (2021-08-14).
133:(1855–1918) was an American
959:People enslaved in Missouri
763:Furst, Randy (2021-03-20).
596:Furst, Randy (2020-12-07).
504:Croman, John (2021-12-28).
346:for his efforts to promote
255:Minneapolis city councilors
218:Minneapolis Fire Department
123:Minneapolis Fire Department
18:John Cheatham (firefighter)
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924:African-American activists
706:Roper, Eric (2020-06-23).
468:Nelson, Tim (2022-03-17).
121:Racial integration of the
897:Hennepin County Library,
191:Emancipation Proclamation
151:Emancipation Proclamation
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939:People from Minneapolis
887:. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
686:Adventures in Cardboard
633:Friends of the Cemetery
267:newspaper at the time.
475:Minnesota Public Radio
381:History of Minneapolis
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954:American firefighters
944:People from St. Louis
344:Charles Fremont Dight
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843:"Dight Ave Renaming"
340:Longfellow community
163:Longfellow community
27:American firefighter
410:City of Minneapolis
264:Minneapolis Journal
242:racially segregated
299:racially integrate
293:Racial integration
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796:Bring Me The News
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851:. Retrieved
849:. 2021-09-28
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826:. Retrieved
824:. 2021-09-24
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799:. 2021-06-01
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635:. 2005-05-23
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603:Star Tribune
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577:. Retrieved
575:. 2020-06-04
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549:. Retrieved
547:. 2020-12-11
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449:. Retrieved
445:Star Tribune
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336:Noah McCourt
328:George Floyd
317:
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278:endocarditis
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90:Burial place
919:1918 deaths
914:1855 births
348:food safety
304:Earl Larson
139:Minneapolis
135:firefighter
112:Firefighter
78:Minneapolis
908:Categories
853:2022-01-01
828:2021-09-24
803:2021-06-01
776:2021-03-20
749:2021-08-14
719:2020-06-23
692:2022-01-01
667:2022-01-01
639:2022-01-01
609:2020-12-07
579:2022-01-01
573:Black Then
551:2020-12-11
517:2021-12-28
481:2022-03-17
451:2021-12-25
392:References
326:following
183:U.S. state
173:Early life
108:Occupation
320:aftermath
195:St. Louis
155:Minnesota
143:St. Louis
100:Monuments
82:Minnesota
59:St. Louis
365:See also
352:eugenics
332:petition
324:protests
246:redlined
187:Missouri
179:enslaved
147:Missouri
63:Missouri
743:KARE-TV
511:KARE-TV
318:In the
226:captain
688:. 2022
663:. 2022
288:Legacy
211:porter
207:sexton
201:Career
159:Black
209:and
74:1918
71:Died
55:1855
52:Born
322:of
185:of
165:as
137:in
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