Correspondence between WFS and President Jack Wheeler of the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association

July 19, 2002

Jack Wheeler, President
La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association
P.O. Box 253
La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91012

Dear Mr. Wheeler;

I read with interest a local newspaper article reporting on the design chosen for the La Cañada Flintridge float in the 2003 Rose Parade. I am very pleased to see that you have chosen to honor firefighters in this way, as they are certainly both heroes and the subject of many children's imaginations.

I could also not help but note that the firefighters represented on your float are both intended to be male, and that the only female figure will be a girl having a tea party. This is not an accurate representation of reality, and falls far short of the Rose Parade's encouragement that the floats represent our children's dreams, wishes, and imaginations.

Many children dream of becoming firefighters. Those children are both boys and girls. And many children dream of growing up and having their own children, and "having outings with them." Those children are also both boys and girls.

Please consider the positive statement it would make about the options for all of our children if your float would include both a boy and a girl firefighter, and both a boy and a girl having a tea party. Rather than being caught up in old, limiting stereotypes -- and reinforcing those out-of-date images before an audience of millions -- La Cañada Flintridge could show itself to be inclusive, forward-thinking, and inspirational in its vision. I strongly encourage you to make this very important change in your float's design.

I am sure your community, which so strongly supports your float-building effort every year, will appreciate being able to be represented in this positive way.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

/s/
Terese M. Floren
Executive Director
Women in the Fire Service, Inc.

July 21, 2002
(via e-mail)

Dear Ms. Floren,

Thank you for your letter of concern.

Ah, the power of the press!

I did not write the newspaper article in question. It came from a telephone interview. (Which I will never do again!) Even the information was out of context. I was also misquoted "Boys dream of being firemen and girls dream of having children". Our float depicts just the opposite.

It is unfortunate that so many questions are being raised by well intentioned people that have not seen the color rendering of our float. The figure of the girl is wearing the WHITE HAT OF THE FIRE CHIEF. The intent of the float is not to insult anyone, the intent of the float is simply to have fun.

The La Canada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association float "Backyard Heroes" has evolved over the past six months and there has been much discussion on how to portray the girl. We think the combination of the fire chief's hat and the Teddy bears are an appropriate characterization of the theme of this years Parade, "Children's Dreams, Wishes and Imagination". The Association is sensitive to the issues being raised and we sincerely believe that this float does not violate those issues. We believe the float will be fun to watch and beautiful to look at and we sincerely hope you will enjoy it.

Best regards,

Jack Wheeler
President

[Note: Reporter Marshall Allen and the editor of the News-Press, when contacted by WFS regarding the accuracy of the quote in question, said they stand by their story.]

July 22, 2002
(via e-mail)

Dear Mr. Wheeler;

Thank you for your prompt reply to my letter. I can certainly appreciate your distress over being misquoted in the newspaper article, something that has happened to me many times. I hope the newspaper will be willing to accommodate you in printing a correction to your statement, since you did not intend to give the message that was attributed to you.

I also appreciate your providing the additional information that the little girl having a tea party will be wearing a white fire chief's helmet. This is certainly an indication that your committee is, as you say, sensitive to the issues being raised.

Given that sensitivity, I hope they will be able to make the changes I suggested in my original letter. Simply putting a fire chief's helmet on the head of a little girl who is having a tea party with her teddy bears is not going to make her look like a fire chief. She will only be a little girl playing dress-up, not a child with a real dream of becoming a firefighter. The girl will be showcased in a traditional domestic role, and will be on the receiving end of the action carried out by two boys who are the "real" firefighters.

If instead your float would portray a boy and a girl on the hose line, playfully squirting a boy and a girl having a tea party, you would be making a very clear and inspiring statement about the choices available to our children: that boys and girls can grow up to be firefighters, and boys and girls can grow up to have picnics with their children.

Your committee has the opportunity to make this statement from a very public platform. Again, I am very grateful that you have chosen to honor firefighters as heroes in the upcoming Rose Parade, and I hope you will choose to do this in the most positive way possible.

Sincerely,

Terese M. Floren
Executive Director
Women in the Fire Service, Inc.

Dear Mr. Wheeler;

I very much appreciate that the LCFTORA has now posted the artist's rendition of its 2003 float design on its website. This allows people such as myself to look at the actual plan instead of relying on someone else's descriptions of it, which may not always be accurate or comprehensive.

Having taken a look at the design, I would continue to urge you to make the changes that I have suggested in my earlier communications to you. If the intent is not to insult anyone, as Mr. Bob Wallace is quoted as saying in this morning's News-Press article, this can easily be accomplished by making one of the firefighters -- and, of course, I mean one of the figures who are obviously intended to be firefighters -- female.

I would have to add, however, that I was not aware until yesterday that all three figures were intended to portray white children. I would like to echo Captain Brian Jordan's urging that a diversity of racial/ethnic backgrounds also be represented. This is an equally important statement for the LCFTORA to make.

Finally, I would like to express my concern that our suggestions and input to your association are being taken in an adversarial way. I believe all of my communications to you have been both positive and respectful. If letters you have received from others have been less so, that is unfortunate, but only serves to demonstrate how strongly some people feel about this issue.

Surely it is better for us to forward constructive suggestions -- and for you to hear what people think of the design -- while the float is still in the paper stage, than for us simply to criticize it after the fact, on the day after the parade. The LCFTORA has plenty of time and opportunity to make this float a clear, positive portrayal of the fire service and of children's dreams. I continue to encourage you to take the leadership in making this happen.

Sincerely,

Terese M. Floren
Executive Director
Women in the Fire Service, Inc.

Return to article about La Cañada Flintridge's float design