Months after celebrating his 100th birthday and being honored by the city he served for so long, San Diego’s first Black firefighter outside the Southcrest neighborhood, Alwin Benjamin Holman, has died.
San Diego City Firefighters Local 145 announced the death late Thursday.
Holman was the first firefighter of color to serve in a station other than Fire Station 19 in the historically Black Southcrest neighborhood. As a rookie in November 1951, he was assigned to Fire Station 14 in North Park. Holman served with the SDFD for 32 years, ultimately becoming the city’s first Black deputy fire chief.
Brothers United, a nonprofit organization for Black firefighters, offered thoughts on the man who paved the way for so many.
“Benny was more than a colleague; he was a trailblazer, a mentor, and a man whose life changed the course of our fire department forever,” a post on the organization’s social media read. “Benny was our Jackie Robinson. He was the first to break the color barrier in our department when he was assigned to Station 14. That was not just a station transfer, it was a statement. Benny did it with grace, dignity, and courage, facing challenges that many of us cannot imagine. His actions didn’t just pave the way for others; they created the foundation on which all of us stand today.
“Benny was a great firefighter, a great deputy chief, and an extraordinary human being. His legacy is not just in the ranks he held or the firehouse he served it’s in the respect, dignity, and hope he instilled in all of us. Because of him, we can dream bigger, serve better, and honor the values of courage, brotherhood, and service.”
Holman was born in Alton, Illinois, “where segregation sought to define opportunity, yet through the strength and wisdom of his mother, he was raised to rise above discrimination and live with dignity, confidence and purpose,” a city proclamation in December read, as the City Council declared Alwin Benjamin Holman Day.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 and was stationed in San Diego the next year, where he would call home for the next 80 years. Following World War II, Holman then joined the United States Postal Service before his career in the fire department.
“One day the chief pulled me aside and told me they wanted me to train at Station 14 on 32nd and Lincoln,” Holman told The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint last year. “The chief told me that I was going to be his Jackie Robinson of the Fire Department and that I would be one of the first Black Firemen to serve outside of Station 19.”
When he broke that color barrier by being sent to an all-white fire station, the city’s fire department soon saw more Black firefighters stationed outside of Southcrest. He retired in 1983.
“Throughout his distinguished … career, Mr. Holman exemplified professionalism and integrity,” the proclamation read. “He served all people equally, without regarding race or background, and demonstrated through his actions that compassion, service, and courage transcend division.”
Holman was thanked for his service in person at a City Council meeting in December.
“I loved the job so much,” he said at City Hall.
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