Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamal Parms.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Coconut Grove, a neighborhood in Miami, during the early 1980s. We were a small, tight-knit, predominantly Black community full of businesses, activities, and opportunities. Since I was a kid, I have always leaned heavily on my imagination and creativity. Anything I got my hands on was instantly transformed into whatever I wanted it to be. For me in life, the possibilities were endless; even the sky is not the limit.
My family and my upbringing had a huge impact on me as well. I had four very strong male influences: My Dad Anthony, being a schoolteacher, always stressed the importance of education, faith in God and love for self as not only a man but a Black man; My Stepfather Rodney, taught me a great deal about respect, courage and responsibility. My Grandfather, Flozel “T-Boy”, gave me many life lessons at a young age, he introduced me to trade work, as a roofer and carpenter he taught me how to be attentive enough to details do the job right but flexible enough to make adjustments on the fly when things do not go as planned and finally my Uncle Irving who instilled a work ethic in my like no other.
Every time I asked for something, a rake or lawnmower magically appeared in my hands. From him, I learned the importance and benefits of enterprise. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention my Mom, Millicent “Cookie”, she has always had an amazing giving spirit and displayed acts of selflessness on countless occasions. These experiences, I believe, shaped and molded me into the Man I am today.
I enjoy expressing myself, and one way I do this is through cooking. I think food should look as good as it tastes, so yea, presentation is everything. As you can imagine, I spend tons of time in the kitchen pretending to be a celebrity chef chopping and dashing away then of course, posting it on my social media outlets to tease the masses with mouthwatering dishes. The other methods are speaking and quote writing in which you will see scattered throughout this article.
Inspiring others, especially youth, means the world to me. At any given time, I can be found speaking to a group of young people, encouraging them, sharing several of my own life experiences in hopes that it will lead them into an even brighter path than my own. Out of the box thinking is usually my theme. I believe that “Children are impressionable like wet cement. Eventually it will harden, so make your impressions count.” – Jamal Parms. As an example of Black excellence and achievement, I feel I have an obligation to give back to my community.
Community service is my way of paying it forward to society, and I have done it in many ways, such as: Passing out free cold waters from the back of a pickup truck on a hot summer’s day with the Professional Black Firefighters Association Inc., Making the decision to bypass the more prestigious healthcare systems to work at a local area hospital as an Emergency Room Registered Nurse in a less affluent part of town, delivering quality healthcare with a smile to a more disenfranchised population that happens to look more like me, feeding the homeless, collecting clothes for the poor, Recognizing a Black Father every month on my social media pages to show the world that Black Men are great Fathers and they still exist and Finally the promotion and support of Black-owned businesses.
I believe that if we as a People apply the principles of “Powernomics,” described by Dr. Claude Anderson in his book of the same name, in the struggle to reestablish the Black Community, it will put us in a better position to effectively compete in the world. Practicing what I preached, I proudly chose a Black Owned Construction Company, JO-C Builders, for one of the biggest investments of my life. Using this Black Owned Business to build my home from the ground up was one of the best experiences I have ever had even though hiring them went contrary to the opinions and warnings of many people around me. I have personally witnessed companies like JO-C Builders and DocuDad by Rodney Allen, author of the book “My Child my Rights – The End of Unjust Child Support” do an amazing work in the community and they need our support along with many others like them. Life is too short and exciting not to take full advantage of it. We must challenge ourselves and take chances to enjoy the true essence of it. “I don’t mind taking risks as long as they are calculated, even if the math was wrong, it was calculated.” – Jamal Parms
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, my road has not always been a smooth one. The Grove during the ’80s and ’90s was a rough area. There was a strong sense of community and I was blessed with a strong family base; however, during that time, drugs were ALLOWED to pour into the streets of Miami and my neighborhood, like many others; Liberty City, Overtown and Opa-Locka, to name a few, were devastated by the crack epidemic. Everyone was affected in some way and the effects are still felt until this today. I was caught in 2 shootouts over drugs and money as a kid, I even had guns pointed at me by the cops as a child during a drug raid that my family had no part in, and the list can go on. When I was growing up, we fell on a few hard times here and there, and at one point there were 11-13 of us in a 3-bedroom one-bathroom house. To top it off, when I was 13 years old, we lost our home to a fire. A few years after that, my younger brother was the victim of a deliberate hit and run accident. Fortunately, he survived.
From there, I have had to endure several instances of harassments by cops and other obstacles that come only with being a Black Man in America for example women from other backgrounds clinching their purses when they see me, locking their doors as I approach, people following me around stores as if I was about to steal something, people making very inappropriate comments to me about my race and again the list can go one.
On another note, I faced a daunting challenge at work. My Firefighting career has a mandatory swim test and one year from your hire date is given to complete it. I learned to swim as an adult while in the fire academy. I started taking night swimming lessons at a local community college towards the end of my fire academy training and I continued for nine months. I failed the swim test 11 times before I finally passed, with about 3.5 weeks left on the calendar before my termination date.
When faced with all these obstacles, I had learned to keep my head up and focus. “I had no time to be tired and quitting was not an option” – Jamal Parms. I had a goal, and I was not about to let anything stop me from attaining it. Not a tough living environment or a few hard times or even a swim test. They were all tests of faith to build character. All I could do was keep my smile on my face… take a deep breath, pray about it and give it everything I had. Good news, it worked!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been a Firefighter/Paramedic for 15 years here in South Florida and a Registered nurse for ten years. I fell in love with the fire service at the age of 15 while attending career day at my high school. Some of the local firefighters had a booth and the more they spoke, the more I was intrigued. I joined their Fire Rescue Explorer program. This program is designed to introduce teens to the fire service by allowing them to train and do ride-a-longs at fire stations and even receive some certifications. It taught me a lot about structure, discipline and what to expect in the field. I was initially in it for the excitement; the fires, the gore, jumping from buildings and more. However, along the way, I discovered the medical side of things as a Paramedic. Helping others comes naturally to me, especially those in need. As a paramedic I found myself feeling a great joy and taking pride in doing such work. The same can be said about my career as a nurse. I went to a local community college and got all of my certifications and licenses needed to enter my careers. Over the years, I worked at two local hospitals and at many fire stations throughout my fire department when I was unassigned. Ultimately, just as I did in nursing, I did in the fire service. I took a permanent assignment in a part of town that I felt really needed some attention. It may not have been the most sought-out area to work in or fire station in the eyes of many, but I take pride stepping off the truck being a positive example and role model providing that representation so desperately needed in that part of town, in particular for the Black boys and girls. As a child, I did not see many people that looked like me in this position, so I am just trying to make my impression count. I am known for service with a smile and being a patient advocate. I have a passion for public education, over the years doing many fire safety presentations, speeches, and demonstrations at many schools throughout the city and county. My current position in the fire department is that of a Driver Engineer. I drive the fire truck, provide fire attack crew members with water when needed to extinguish fires, tools, supplies, and other resources necessary on emergency scenes. I still go into fires when I am not driving, and I also operate as a Paramedic on the fire truck and the Rescue ambulance. As a nurse, I am trained in Emergency Nursing for ER, which is a critical care specialty. I think what sets me apart is my consistency in going the extra mile to do my job the right way and make others, be it patients, citizens, or coworkers to feel as comfortable and safe as possible. It has been this way my entire career and I have yet to grow tired of delivering Excellence Through Service with a Smile.
What matters most to you? Why?
As an ENFP, if you know what it is then you know, I Love Life, I live and let live. Happiness matters the most to me. My Happiness has many forms such as: Peace of mind, Love, spending time with Family and Friends, Black Success, Peace in the world, Peace with God, Peace amongst People, Personal Time, Financial stability, Music, Freedom to Create, Imagine, Express, Inspire, Explore, Encourage, Help, Motivate, Organize, Mobilize, Build, Laugh, be in Good Health and Food… Yes, I said food. Thank you all for sharing this moment with me.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Kraig Paul and Zachary Smith
