Andrea Hall made metro Atlanta proud when she spoke — and signed — the Pledge of Allegiance on Wednesday.
Hall, a fire department captain for the city of South Fulton, led the nation in the Pledge during the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The 47-year-old is the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3920. The organization supported Biden early, endorsing the former Vice President just days after he announced his intention to run in April 2019.
The Albany native spoke and simultaneously used ASL to sign the Pledge for viewers. She didn’t mention her plans when she spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday.
She said she wanted to represent her family and city, but also women, African-American women and firefighters well.
Mission accomplished.
“We are exceptionally proud of Captain Andrea Hall. Her representation of the Pledge of Allegiance is reflective of her drive and determination for inclusion,” said Sterling Jones, interim fire chief. “She continuously strives to ensure the underrepresented have a place and are not forgotten.”
Hall, who was unavailable for an interview Wednesday, joined the Fulton County Fire Department in 1999, then earned the rank of captain in 2004. She remained in February 2018 when the county’s department became the South Fulton Fire Department as a result of many municipalities forming their own forces.
She began firefighting in 1993 at an Albany department full of White men. She became the first women in the history of Albany’s fire department.
“One of our own had a front-row seat as history was made today,” said Mayor Bill Edwards. “No stranger to trailblazing herself as Fulton County’s first African American woman to reach her rank, Capt. Hall seized the opportunity to promote inclusion on all levels — not just for herself, but for millions of hearing-impaired Americans. She is a true hero.”
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