Gerald Alston, a onetime Brookline firefighter whose yearslong legal battle against the town pulled back the curtain on racial discrimination, has died at age 57.

Four years ago, Brookline reached a landmark $11 million settlement with Alston, who was fired after he complained of racial bias in the workplace and reported a supervisor who left a racial slur on his voicemail.

He died Oct. 13, according to a notice from Davis Funeral Home, which did not specify a cause. Brookline.News first reported Alston’s death.

“Gerald Alston was a courageous and selfless firefighter who never gave up in his fight for justice and fairness,” the Brookline Justice League said in a statement shared by Brooks Ames, Alston’s longtime attorney. “For eleven years, he sacrificed his health and well-bei

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