There’s a small brick church on N. Dunleith Avenue, on the East side of Winston-Salem in North Carolina. If you were looking for a place where something important happened you’d probably walk right past it. But wait … there’s a historical marker outside indicating that perhaps something important may have indeed happened here. According to the marker this small building, now the Mt. Glory Missionary Baptist Church, was originally the home of Engine #4, the first fire station in North Carolina to be racially integrated.

The wooden, gabled church door is closed, but there are a couple of cars in the parking lot. Suddenly a gleaming, bright red fire engine turns the corner and pulls up in front of the church, and a team of firefighters climbs leisurely down from the cab. There’s no smoke; the lights aren’t flashing on the fire engine cab, and the siren isn’t sounding. This isn’t a fire; it’s a reunion of sorts.

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