“These four HBCUs have some of the top agricultural programs at HBCUs in the nation. So, it just makes sense to align our efforts and move together in the same direction,” a Forest Service representative said about the partnership.
HAZEL GREEN, Ala. — Before starting college, Taylor Mohead had never been outside her hometown of Houston. Now, the recent Tuskegee University graduate is trekking around trees in Hazel Green, Alabama, in fire gear and sweltering heat.
The on-site fire academy is part of the 1890 Land Grant Institution Wildland Fire Consortium, a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and a cluster of HBCUs comprised of Florida A&M University, Southern University in Louisiana, Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University.and minorities remain underrepresented in forestry and firefighting.
The consortium is building on top of a decadeslong relationship between Alabama A&M and the Forest Service. A USDA Forest Service Center of Excellence in Forestry was created at the school in 1993 to prepare students for jobs with the agency. Black fire personnel have remained mostly around 1.3%. Black women make up around half a percent. The number of Hispanic staff has grown by 10%. Native Americans/Alaska Natives and Asians linger around 3% and 1%, respectively. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up less than 1%.
“As the school year progressed, that’s when more information about the FireDawgs presented itself,” Massey said in between running around in fire gear. “I wanted to just have experience and be able to make the most out of my college experience because I wasn’t just going back for fun. I was going back for a purpose.”
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