Alice Faison, the first African American woman sworn in to the force in Ocala in 1969, gives a speech in the Ocala Police Department after she was recognized for her past contribution to the community on the first day of Black History Month, Ocala, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. "...and thank god for this, I was born color-blind--I didn't see color, never, from a child, and I'm now almost 76 years old," says Faison. (Xinyue Li/WUFT News)