VIDEO: Deputy Fire Chief James Kelley believes "you can't talk about the history of the Kansas City Fire Department without mentioning the history of the Black firefighter."
“In order to understand where we need to be, we got to understand the history," Kelley said. "We need to understand where we come from."
Station 11, located at 2033 Vine Street, was home to KCFD's first Black firefighters.
Pat Jordan, who serves as president of The Gem Cultural and Educational Center, is working to preserve the history of the station.
“They were really figures of hope and they were community leaders,” Jordan said. “People in the community are beginning to recognize how important it is to preserve our history and culture not unlike we did before.”