Roland Martin
@rolandsmartin·1.9M subscribers·31.6K videos
Black Men Created America’s First Paramedics. Freedom House’s Hidden History
Posted
June 14, 2026
Views
2,786
Likes
285
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17
Engagement
10.84%
June 14, 2026
2,786
285
17
10.84%
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54:43Now Playing#RolandsBookClub: Black Men Created America’s First Paramedics. Freedom House’s Hidden History
Roland Martin speaks with Kevin Hazzard, author of American Sirens, about the untold story of Freedom House, the group of Black men from Pittsburgh’s Hill District who became America’s first paramedics. Their work began in the late 1960s after years of deadly failures in emergency care, especially in Black neighborhoods that were ignored, underfunded, and denied basic services.
Hazzard explains how Freedom House changed emergency medicine forever, from advanced ambulance training to the early use of Narcan, airway management, and the national standards still used in paramedic programs today. The conversation also exposes how racism helped erase their legacy, even after their work became the model for EMS across the country.
#RolandMartinUnfiltered #BlackStarNetwork #AmericanSirens #FreedomHouse #BlackHistory #Paramedics #Pittsburgh #HBlack Star Network Partner: Chapter
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