Former Brookline firefighter whose legal battle put a spotlight on racial discrimination has died

"Gerald Alston was a courageous and selfless firefighter who never gave up in his fight for justice and fairness."

"For eleven years, he sacrificed his health and well-being to challenge discrimination both in court and in the public arena."

"Over the course of a decade, he really held up a mirror to Brookline in a way that just hadn't been done before,"

Gerald Alston was a Brookline firefighter whose yearslong legal battle exposed racial discrimination within the department. A lieutenant accidentally left him a voicemail using the n-word, and the lieutenant received only a brief suspension before promotion. Alston said he endured years of racism and retaliation, was placed on leave in 2013 after alleged threatening comments, and was fired in 2016 for refusing to comply with return-to-work conditions. The state's Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a Civil Service Commission ruling ordering his reinstatement, and Brookline approved an $11 million settlement in 2021. Alston died Oct. 13 at age 57, and his actions left an indelible mark on the town.

Read at Boston.com