ANDREA HALL
A MESSAGE OF
UNITYO
Fire Captain Andrea Hall’s Pledge of Allegiance at the Biden Inauguration epitomised her message of unity and togetherness.
Fire Captain Andrea Hall of the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia.
SUMMER 38 FIRECALL
n January 6, protesters fired up by the rhetoric of former US president Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington DC in an act that underlined the divisions in American politics and society. Just two week later on January 20, Fire Captain Andrea Hall from the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department in Georgia, stepped up to the podium at the inauguration of 46th President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris in an act that helped to underline a new sense of unity. On a day of new beginnings and inclusion, with Harris becoming the first African-American, person of South Asian descent, and female vicepresident, it was fitting that Captain Hall took to the stage, having herself achieved several historic firsts. She was the first female firefighter in the Albany, Georgia, Fire Department, in 1993, and in 2004 became the first female African-American to hold the rank of Captain in the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department, so she knew what it was like to be a part of a new, trailblazing era. Understandably, with VicePresident Harris preparing to stand for her inauguration, and following a performance of the national anthem by Lady Gaga, Captain Hall was nervous as her moment arrived. “The Pledge is only about 15 seconds – but it felt like a very long time!” she tells me. “I was so
