I never discriminated against anyone. Still, I was fired: Former Black fire chief

As a country music lover, one of my favorite songs is Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." You know the one:

“If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life/ And I had to start again with just my children and my wife;/ I’d thank my lucky stars to still be livin’ here today;/ ‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away.”

Or can they?

On Jan. 6, 2015, the childhood-dream-come-true career I had worked for all my life was abruptly taken away because of a book I wrote for my Christian men’s Bible study and shared with a few of my colleagues. A few of the book’s 162 pages explained my beliefs, grounded in the biblical view of marriage and sexuality.

After a years-long legal battle, my freedom of speech was vindicated in 2017 – a win not just for me, but for all government employees who want to live and speak out their faith and still thrive in their career.

Despite our differences of opinions, Americans share a history of tolerance and a belief that those differences should not disqualify anyone from pursuing the blessings America has to offer. However, that view is rapidly, radically changing.

A true American success story

As a 5-year-old growing up in poverty with a single mom and five siblings, I was smitten one day, watching Shreveport, La., firefighters put out a fire across the alley from where we lived. I told my mother and siblings, “I want to be a fireman when I grow up!” 

As a Christian African American in the South during the civil rights movement, I was raised on faith and patriotism. Notwithstanding the discrimination, inequality and injustice around us, my siblings and I were taught that if we had faith in God, earned a good education, respected grown-ups and treated other people the way we wanted to be treated, our dreams could come true.           

Those beliefs fanned the flames of my dreams.

When I was growing up, Blacks were not allowed to be firefighters. However, my family had an unwavering hope that America would someday be true to her Constitution, that all men would be treated with justice, and that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” were the privilege of all Americans, whatever their race.

Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we believed one day we would not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character. Eventually, I became one of the first Black firefighters in Shreveport.

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My faith shaped my character. America was founded largely on the belief that its citizens should be able to live out their faith without fear of consequences, and that disagreement does not equate to hate and discrimination. As a public servant, I have personally lived out this truth for 34 years. True tolerance has proved itself, time and time again.

Facing religious persecution

Firefighters demonstrate tolerance every day. We come from diverse backgrounds and demographics, united by a common calling to lay down our lives for others. There is no greater motive for work or demonstration of love than that. We vow to die not only for strangers but also for one another, whatever our individual beliefs.

Demonstrating unity and embracing diversity eventually enabled me to advance in the service as the first Black fire chief in Shreveport, fire chief of Atlanta, and as President Barack Obama's choice for U.S. fire administrator, the highest possible office for a firefighter. I was also honored as national Fire Chief of the Year in 2012. But my record of championing unity and inclusion meant nothing once my views on marriage and sexuality were disclosed.

I was suspended without pay, but in an internal investigation the city found no evidence that I had ever discriminated against anyone. Still, after the suspension, I was fired.            

That kind of threat to religious liberty impacts all Americans, not just Christians. No American should lose their career, business or opportunities to thrive because of the convictions of their conscience.

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Thankfully, a judge ruled that the city violated my constitutional rights when it fired me, and the city agreed to settle the case with me. 

Unfortunately, in the current political climate, the prevailing view is the one expressed by an Atlanta city councilmember who said, on my firing: “I respect each individual’s right to have their own thoughts, beliefs and opinions, but when you’re a city employee, and those thoughts, beliefs and opinions are different from the city’s, you have to check them at the door.”

Americans should not have to hide their convictions and conscience to succeed professionally.

For the sake of all Americans, I hope and pray that my country will soon see not just a new birth of freedom, but true religious tolerance.

Kelvin Cochran is senior fellow and vice president at Alliance Defending Freedom. He is the co-author of a new book about his experiences, "Facing The Fire."