BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — The face of the first black female firefighter in Boynton Beach was replaced with the face of a white person on a mural posted on the window of Fire Station #1.
The mural was supposed to depict the face of Boynton Beach’s former deputy chief and firefighter Latosha Clemmons when it was placed on the window of Fire Station #1, but the people involved with the mural’s creation decided on changing her face to that of a white face during the art commission process.
“Working with the arts commission, initially, the rough draft wasn’t diverse enough, so we talked about diversifying the mural,” Clemmons said.
The mural posted on the window of the fire station was supposed to be representative of the diverse population of the community. It was supposed to pay tribute to Clemmons, whose firefighter hat contained the number 134, but a white face appeared instead.
Clemmons said she was on a committee that ensured her the mural would be diverse and that she would be featured. She said she was part of the planning process and knew what the mural was going to look like.
“As the first and only black female in a department that was established in 1924, you know, I worked very hard,” Clemmons said. “This is something that’s not just for me. It’s for the young girls that have hopes and dreams of pursuing this career.”
Clemmons is the city’s first and only black female firefighter and deputy chief, and she said that once the mural project went on earlier in the month, she began getting calls from her colleagues and friends saying that the person on the mural was definitely not her. It was subsequently removed shortly after.
She and others around her questioned why her face was removed. The mural was part of a public art project that was unveiled in early June.
The face of Glenn Joseph, the city’s former fire chief, was also removed.
“Initially, I was in shock when I saw it,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow. Why did this happen?’ I was hurt, I was disappointed, and then I was outraged. Why make that change? When was it made? Specifically, in this climate.”
“Born and raised in the city of Boynton Beach, she gave her life’s blood to the city and people of Boynton Beach to be whitewashed on a wall that should’ve been representative of the city; however, it wasn’t,” attorney Nicole Hunt Jackson said. “The racial insult that came from these changes called many questions. ‘Who made these changes?’ and ‘Why did they make these changes?’ We demand accountability and answers for why that mural was changed. Why were those two black faces removed from that mural?”
Boynton Beach City Manager Lori LaVerriere began an investigation into the mural and released a statement saying, “As City Manager, I have concluded a preliminary investigation regarding the inappropriate decisions made by City employees in respect to the public artwork that was installed and subsequently removed at the City’s Fire Station #1.”
She continued, “The decision made to alter the artwork that was approved by the Public Arts Commission was wrong and disrespectful to our community. Every employee in the City of Boynton Beach works for its community. As a leader, I have been very clear that I will not tolerate any employee to be disrespectful, in any shape or form, to any members of our community. Therefore, effective immediately, I have terminated Debby Coles-Dobay, the Public Arts Manager and removed Matthew Petty as the Chief of the Fire Rescue Department. The decisions were difficult but necessary.”
The city is not investigating the whitewashing as an act of hate.
Although it remains unclear whether or not Clemmons will pursue legal action, she wants to know what happened and who was involved in the process.
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