CHICAGO — When former Chicago firefighter Michael Taqee retired from his public service role, he wanted to be able to tell his grandchildren he worked his way up the leadership ranks of the Fire Department. But an admission practice that discriminated against Black firefighter applicants in the 1990s hurt Taqee in the promotion tests he took two decades later. The exam had a seniority component that accounted for 30% of the score. Taqee officially joined the Chicago Fire Department in March 2012 at 51. At that point, he only had 12 years to earn a promotion before the city’s retirement age wou…
