Henry ‘Hank’ Ashwood Sr., the man I affectionately gave the moniker ‘Pappa Wood’ for which he became known by the young men and women he recruited, was the unselfish, unrelenting force behind the movement to integrate the fire department and continue the recruitment and hiring of ‘minority personnel’ for the City of St. Petersburg’s Public Safety agency,’ said Dr. Goliath Davis.
GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, Ph.D. | Contributor
ST. PETERSBURG — Over the years, I have been frequently reminded by elders that if by chance you walk through an open field and find a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, there is one thing for sure: he did not get there by himself — he had help. On June 29, I attended a Pioneer Ceremony hosted by the City of St. Petersburg for the six firefighters who, working with Henry L. “Hank” Ashwood, Sr., integrated the St. Petersburg Fire Department. They have been dubbed the “Legacy Six” (Captain Alphonso Brown, Lieutenant Riley Preston Floyd, Lieutenant Willie Barnes, Willie Utley, Stanton Singletary and Eugene Curry).
Fire Chief Keith Watts
The legacy members, their families, Mayor Ken Welch, Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. and Fire Chief Keith Watts attended with other dignitaries and city administrators. It was an excellent event. The only thing missing historically was the Ashwood family and recognition of his contributions. Hank Ashwood spearheaded the fire department’s integration movement, recruited members of the Legacy Six, served as their mentor and support system and fought all attempts to dismiss them based on race.
On July 12, I submitted a “request for recognition” to Mayor Welch, members of city council and Fire Chief Watts. The request was simple: Please complete the historical story by hanging a photo of Hank Ashwood with a brief description of his contribution adjacent to the plaque depicting photos of the six pioneers. I had no reason to believe the request would be denied. After all, should we as Black people deny our history and our truths?
On July 17, Chief Keith Watts denied the request, indicating he would keep it on file and entertain it when a ceremony for outsiders is held. I reminded him that Ashwood was not an outsider and that he and the Legacy Six are a product of his vision and commitment to equality and social justice.
When Chief Watts arrived in St. Petersburg and approached me to assist with his campaign to become St. Pete’s first Black Fire Chief, I immediately introduced him to Hank Ashwood through conversation, indicated that I joined the city as a public safety agent and held two certifications, fire and police, and that Assistant Chief James Wimberly barely missed being appointed St. Pete’s first Black fire chief. Watts was very persuasive regarding his commitment to diversity, but once appointed, he has been a real disappointment.
Chief Watts is the turtle on the fence post; however, he seems to have forgotten he did not reach that pinnacle by himself. He owes a great deal of gratitude to the Legacy Six, Ashwood, former City Manager Don McRae, former NAACP President Garnelle Jenkins, Cleveland and Ethel Johnson of The Weekly Challenger and a host of other civil rights trailblazers from the City of St. Petersburg.
Ashwood’s recognition is warranted. He earned the right based on unselfish commitment to the Legacy Six and a host of other Black people who were able to enter city service in general and public safety specifically. Chief Watts, hang the picture. It is only right that Hank Ashwood’s photo hangs next to his recruits. After all, he was also a firefighter in the United States Air Force. Our retired military veteran.
