We’ll begin with the firefighters of Engine Company 4, the first African-American firefighters in Winston-Salem.
This story first ran on Feb. 18, 2001.

For much of the 20th century, only white people fought fires in Winston-Salem. But eight Black men changed that and made history March 1, 1951, when they were the first Black firefighters hired by the city. Until 1915, when Winston-Salem began using paid firefighters, there was a volunteer fire brigade of Black men. City leaders debated the idea of hiring Blacks. They were concerned about the cost of segregated fire stations and argued that Black firefighters would have to fight fires in white communities.

In 1951, the city selected the eight men from 105 applicants. Four of them had perfect scores on the tests they took during six weeks of training,
and the average among them was 93%. The men moved into Station No. 4 on Dunleith Avenue. The firefighters there became known for their work with
 Boy Scouts and high school students. They also helped feed needy families and gave children toys during the holidays. Within five years, all station personnel were Black firefighters and officers. The firefighters and the station where they worked provided a steppingstone for other Black firefighters,
said John Gist, chief of the Winston-Salem Fire Department from 1998-2008.

“Even back then they changed a lot of myths about African-Americans,” said Gist, the city’s third Black fire chief. He said that there were a lot of misconceptions that Blacks were afraid to fight fires and afraid of heights. But the first Black men at Station No. 4 changed that perception. 
“They proved that we can work together and did it before many other cities,” Gist said. “That’s something this city should be proud of.” 
 https://journalnow.com/news/local/ask-sam-how-did-black-history-month-come-to-be/article_1627e596-bee7-11ee-9769-a7d2f6aa9bfc.html