The test of courage comes when we are in the minority; the test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

- 17th century theologian Ralph W. Sockman

• As of 2000, women make up 47% of the U.S. labor force. Approximately 5,200 women work as full-time career firefighters and officers, representing just over 2% of the total.
  
  
• In 1998, there were 27,000 African-American and 9,000 Hispanic career firefighters, representing 11.8% and 3.9% of the total respectively.
  
  
• African American women comprise about 10% of female career firefighters and officers. Detroit now has more than 20 African-American women firefighters, including District Chief Charlene Graham, who was promoted in 1996. The District of Columbia Fire Department, which has been one of the nation's leaders in hiring Black women, employs more than fifty as firefighters and an even larger number in EMS. The Oakland Fire Department currently employs more than 15 Black women out of a total force of 491.
  
  
• In New York City, fewer than 6% of FDNY's 11,000 firefighters are men of color and women are .3% (3/10's of 1%) of the total. NYC's overall population is 30% Hispanic, 25-30% African American, 10% Asian and 51% women.
  
  
• The following urban fire departments (more than 75 career personnel) have the highest percentages of women firefighters: Madison, Wisconsin: 14.8%; Boulder, Colorado: 14%; Clay County, Florida: 13.8%; San Francisco: 11.7%; Montgomery Co., Maryland: 10.2%. However, several large urban departments have no women at all.
  
  
• The White House estimates that by 2050, the population of the United States will be approximately 53% White, 25% Hispanic, 14% Black, 8% Asian/Pacific Islander and 1% American Indian. (Sources: Oakland Fire Services Agency, Women in the Fire Service, National Fire Protection Association, National MultiCultural Institute and President's Initiative on Race)

• Have you observed firefighters on the job, either at a fire or an emergency call? How well did they perform, in your opinion? What role does a fire department play in a community?
  
  
• What is your view of firefighting as a profession? What are the pluses and the minuses? What kind of person would want to be a firefighter? Would you? Do you think many college educated people would be firefighters?
  
  
• What kinds of physical, intellectual, and psychological qualifications do you think are important for a firefighter? How important do you feel it is for prospective firefighters to meet established physical, intellectual, and social standards?
  
  
• Until recently, most firefighters were white males. Now a number of departments are working to achieve ethnic and gender diversity. How important do you feel it is to have a community's fire department reflect the diversity of its residents? Why?
  
  
• Have you ever had an emergency where firefighters were helping you? Did you feel that your own and the firefighters' race and gender made a difference in how you were treated?
  
  

• How fair do you think the Oakland Fire Services testing process is? Why?
  
  
• Do you think cultural/racial/gender differences matter in the interviews? Elsewhere in the Oakland testing process? How?
  
  
• How did the Oakland Fire Department try to offer equal opportunity to all the applicants?
  
  
• Which candidates did you think would make it to the academy? Who could you relate to? Who were you rooting for? Why?
  
  
• Chandra Holiday says she thinks that she was eliminated because of her height and gender. Do you think those kinds of factors are valid in selecting qualified candidates? Did you notice any instance where ethnic or gender bias discriminated against a candidate?
  
  
• What are some of the candidates' opinions about the racial and gender aspects of the application process? Do you agree with any of these opinions? Which ones?
  
  
• Have you ever had to compete against a large group of people for a job, position, or office? How did it feel to succeed? To lose?
  
  
• Have you ever pursued an opportunity where you felt you had an immediate advantage or disadvantage? What was that based on?
  
  

• Do you think the candidates will make good firefighters? Why or why not?
  
  
• Was there anything that stood out about the applicants who were chosen? If so, what was it?
  
  
• Were you surprised that a woman graduated at the top of the class? Why or why not?
  
  
• Not all of the characters succeeded in becoming firefighters. Did anyone succeed that you didn't expect to? Did anyone you expected to succeed not make the grade?
  
  

• Were you surprised to see that the recruits tended to socialize with people of similar background? Why or why not?
  
  
• How do the rookie firefighters attempt to 'belong' in the firefighting culture? Do you think they are all accepted? If not, who do you think isn't and why?
  
  
• Do you think any of the informal hazing that takes place in the firehouse is inappropriate? Why or why not? Does it have the potential or the intention to exclude women? Minorities?
  
  
• How do female firefighters appear to be treated in the firehouse? Are they uncomfortable? Would you be?
  
  
• In which cases was being a woman or minority helpful to the success of a call handled by the firefighters?
  
  
• How did the firefighters show through their actions that they valued teamwork and trust?
  
  
• Do you think firefighters' efforts to work as a team are typical of the American workforce? What do people in other jobs have to learn from firefighters?
  
  

• What dangers and stresses do firefighters have to cope with on a regular basis?
  
  
• Has your perception of what makes a good firefighter changed after viewing TEST OF COURAGE? Why or why not?
  
  
• Do you think firefighting will remain a white-male dominated profession? Why or why not?
  
  
• How can firefighters be role models for young people in your community?
  
  

• The film refers several times to Affirmative Action. What is your attitude towards this policy? Do you think it works for or against you? What wrongs was it designed to right? Do you feel it has done so? Who are its supporters? Who are its opponents?
  
  
• When the Federal judge ordered the Oakland Fire Department to increase its roster of minorities and women firefighters, white firefighters argued that the judge's order was a form of reverse discrimination, discriminating against those who weren't women or minorities. In TEST OF COURAGE, both Terry Sanders and Brendan Dunham say they feel like they're at a disadvantage because of their race and/or gender. What do you think about this issue? Do you think both sides might have a valid argument?
  
  
• What should government's role be in creating a fair playing field for Americans of diverse backgrounds?
  
  

• Is your school, neighborhood, and/or workplace culturally diverse? Was it always? How has your experience of diversity or lack of it helped or hindered your understanding of your community as a whole? What obstacles have you personally had to overcome to adjust to the changing face of America?
  
  
• Have you ever discriminated against another group or gender and realized it later? Have you ever been the victim of ethnic or gender discrimination? What did you do about it?
  
  
• What can be done to help prepare people to get along in a continually evolving, culturally diverse society? What is being done in your community, school or workplace?
  
  
• When you're considering jobs or careers, does it make a difference that there are people in that profession who share your ethnicity, gender, etc.?
  
  
• Can we increase diversity without discriminating against those who are not women or minorities?
  
  

• When and why was the concept of affirmative action created? Have its policies been beneficial?
  
  
• Is there a government policy on affirmative action, or is it up to individual companies and organizations?
  
  
• What are some businesses or organizations in your area that have affirmative action policies? What do these policies say?
  
  
• How do people in your community feel about affirmative action policies? Take a survey of people's ideas on what affirmative action is and how they feel about it.
  
  

• What made you decide to be a firefighter?
  
  
• What was the training like? What kinds of tests did you have to pass?
  
  
• In this profession, what kinds of dangers do you face? Stresses?
  
  
• Are there many women or minority groups in this department? What efforts have been made to bring qualified female and minority applicants into the organization? You can write up the interview as a feature article for the school or local newspaper, or work with other students to create an exhibit based on several interviews.
  
  

• Survey friends and community members to find out why they think people might want to be firefighters despite all the danger and stress.
  
  
• Visit your local fire department. Ask firefighters what the benefits and hardships of their job are.
  
  
• Find out what some other jobs are that have similar demands and rewards, and interview people in these professions. (Among the individuals you might talk with are police officers, paramedics, and emergency room physicians.)
  
  
• Analyze your results to see what qualities people are looking for in their professions. What makes having a dangerous or stressful job worthwhile?
  
  
• What would be important to you in a job? Write a personal statement about what aspects of a job would be most important to you, and what kind of career you might want to pursue.