{"id":45705,"date":"2018-07-13T20:56:56","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T20:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smg.go-vip.net\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/13\/commentary-diversity-and-mixed-messages-2\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:35:07","slug":"commentary-diversity-and-mixed-messages-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/13\/commentary-diversity-and-mixed-messages-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: Diversity and mixed messages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This letter is a reflection on the potential impact of the July 3, 2018 joint statement <\/a>by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice rescinding seven documents that provide guidance on the \u201cVoluntary Use of Race\u201d for admission to educational institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the ways we measure progress for diversity and toward racial equality in our American society and in the U.S. military is through the acknowledgement of firsts. Importantly, the primary route to senior leadership in the U.S. military officer corps is through commissioning sources of service academies and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs as part of civilian educational institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 2, 2018, Army Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams added another milestone to West Point\u2019s Long Gray Line when he became the 60th superintendent of the United States Military Academy (USMA) and the first African-American officer appointed to that prestigious position. Membership in that line was established in 1877 when Henry Ossian Flipper, born a slave, became the first African-American to graduate from West Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\t