Kevin Hazzard wins Christopher Award for “American Sirens”

Atlanta, Ga.-based author Kevin Hazzard, has been honored with a Christopher Award for his book, “American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics,” (Hachette Books). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 74th year.

Journalist and former paramedic Kevin Hazzard tells the story of how a group of young, undereducated Black men forged a new frontier of healthcare. He follows an orphan who found his calling as a paramedic; a Nobel Prize-nominated physician who invented CPR and realized his vision for a trained ambulance service and an idealistic young doctor who turned a scrappy team into an international leader.

At every turn, Freedom House battled racism—from the community, the police, and the government. Their job was grueling, the rules made up as they went along, their mandate nearly impossible—and yet despite the long odds and fierce opposition, they succeeded. Never-before revealed in full, this is a hidden history of the Black origins of America’s paramedics, a special band of dedicated essential workers, who stand ready to serve day and night on the line between life and death for every one of us.

In addition to being a journalist, Kevin Hazzard is a TV writer, and former paramedic. His first book, “A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back,” was published by Scribner in 2016. He now writes for film/TV, with work produced by Hulu, CBS, ABC and Universal. His freelance journalism has been published at 99% Invisible, the Atavist, Men’s Journal, Creative Loafing, Atlanta Magazine, and elsewhere. He is also a sought-after voice on emergency medicine. He lives in Atlanta.

Christopher Awards were also given to creators of 10 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

The Awards celebrate authors, and illustrators as well as writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Christopher Awards were also given to the creators of 10 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “The stories we’re honoring acknowledge that the struggles we endure in life coexist with beauty and hope when we work together, despite our differences, to add love and healing to our world.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.