CHARACTER EDUCATION CONNECTIONS

Leadership Lessons from the Black Lifesavers

During the Jim Crow era, few African Americans held positions of authority in the U.S. At the time, the Pea Island lifesavers, the only all-black crew in the entire U.S. Lifesaving Service, shouldered great responsibility. Without regard for race, they risked their lives to save fellow human beings. Battling stormy seas and waves of racial hostility, the brave men at Pea Island Station emerged as heroes.

Richard Etheridge, the station's commander from 1880 to 1900, was the first African American keeper in the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the forerunner to the U.S. Coast Guard. Etheridge, a fisherman who was born a slave, served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. Etheridge's appointment sparked repercussions. Pea Island's white surfmen quit, refusing to take orders from a black man. Thus, Etheridge assembled an all-black crew. Months later, the station burned to the ground. Arsonists allegedly set the fire to scare off the all-black crew. The crew was undeterred, however.

As keeper, Etheridge taught his crew to read and write, drilled them in lifesaving procedures, and led rescues that rarely went by the book. The Pea Island crew heeded the Service's unofficial motto "You have to go out and that's a fact. No one says you have to come back."

The crew's most daring rescue occurred during an 1896 hurricane. Through pounding waves, the lifesavers waded and swam in pairs to a shipwreck to bring nine survivors, one by one, safely ashore. The Pea Island surfmen became local legends but received no gold medals for their heroism, though white crews had been honored for less daring feats. When the station closed in 1947, its crews had saved more than 600 lives and outperformed all other lifesaving stations.

The Pea Island saga was all but forgotten until an eighth grader, a Coast Guard officer and two graduate students convinced elected officials and the Coast Guard Commandant to honor the crew. In 1996, long-overdue gold medals were finally awarded to the Pea Island lifesavers.

Richard Etheridge's exceptional leadership skills and the crew's strong work ethic often meant the difference between life and death. Here are 10 leadership strategies that the lifesavers exemplified.

1. Teamwork works -- sometimes when all else fails.
2. Train as if your life depends on preparation.
3. Learn to think fast and on your feet.
4. Keep your eyes on the horizon.
5. Risk changing gears.
6. Let your life be a lesson. Lend a lifeline to someone in need.
7. Keep your head above the waves. Rise above controversy.
8. Defeat doubt. Don't get caught in the undertow.
9. Storms eventually pass.
10. Demographics are not destiny. Anyone can be a hero.

Other Resources

Hurricanes & Heroes (sample activity from school visits)

Since 1953, the National Hurricane Center has compiled alphabetical lists of names for each season’s hurricanes. Initially all hurricanes were named for women. Since 1979, however, women's names and men's names have alternated. Once a hurricane strikes, its name is retired.

Black Maritime History Runs Deep (article by Carole Weatherford)

Photo Gallery of African Americans in the  Coast Guard

History of African Americans in the Coast Guard

National Hurricane Center