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The Brass Ceiling
October 3rd, 2007By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer
Posted Oct. 3, 2007 – Black lawmakers joined forces Tuesday to find out from the Department of Defense why so few people of color are being given the opportunity to make rank and become part of the military’s leadership.
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) asked for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss why Blacks and Latinos are over-represented in the enlisted ranks and underrepresented in the officer ranks. The meeting took place with lower-ranking Pentagon officers, and no one was happy with the results.
“I was disappointed that the Joint Chiefs were not there,” Meek said. “It’s not a good thing when you bring the majority whip to the Pentagon, you bring several chairs of committees to the Pentagon, for a meeting to take place, and for those individuals who are making the decisions not to be present is unacceptable.”
Rep. Bobby Scott, (D-Va.) said, “We have a two-fold problem. One is to make sure we get diversity into the lower ranks, and two is to make sure that once they get in that they get the opportunities to move up.”
Making rank in the military isn’t easy. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, (D-Ohio) told reporters, “The military needs to be involved in the process of increasing diversity in the leadership of the military by using mentoring programs and other various ways.”
Meek said this is why it’s so important to open a dialogue about diversity with the military now. “If you go to a young African American or Hispanic and say in 21 to 22 years you can become a one-star general; nine times out of 10, they will opt for another field with faster upward mobility,” he said.
For example, Meek said that a commissioned officer who starts training in 2007 won’t become a one-star general until 2033 – that’s if they are deemed worthy of that star.
Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) called the lack of upward mobility a crisis. “Of the 207,000 commissioned officers, 17,000 are African American, which is less than 10 percent. And one, I said ‘one,’ four-star general.”
Minorities accounted for 15.3 percent of all officers 10 years ago, and that was an increase from 7.5 percent 20 years earlier. Today, just over 38 percent of all officers in the four branches are minorities, which includes women; African Americans are only 8.7 percent of the officers but make up 20 percent of the enlisted ranks.
Freshman Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said, “I am disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm, the lack of innovation, the lack of ability for our U.S. military to recognize that there is a crisis.”
Would you make the military a career?
I am a black officer in the military. The majority of the members in my unit are minorities, While there is only one minority officer in a top leadership positions. There were two and the unit commander pushed to remove her. I had no support from my commander on getting promoted. She actually underhandedly removed me from an administrator slot to put her white male friend in who was new to my unit. A white female officer with no professional degree got promoted to the rank of Lt Col because a senior officer wrote a letter on her behalf. I was told I could not go up for promotion because I did not have a military course eventhough I have a graduate degree, am a regional officer for a professional nursing organization and professionally had a recorded that outshined the white officer with no professional degree. What I did not have was the white connection. I applaud you for bringing this to the attention of others. They will put us on the frontline to die, but won’t put the appropriate representation (not the token black)in the boardroom
Blacks folks anit got no business in da military!
Why be surprised? The military is no different from american society!! This has been an issue for a while about the ” white boy connection”. My question is why is Congress, so late in doing something. Will they do anything at all? Will the white line ever be broken?? I doubt it. Segregation is still the law( unwritten).
What else is new. I am ex-navy and I seen up close and personal what is and have been going on the military. Yes, are the first to be put on the front lines to die for our country but will be picked last to lead our forces into war or whatever. This is a on going problem which should be a wake up call to black people wanting to be in the military and no matter what service it is there will always be a lack of black people in high office ranks, period. The military is just like the non-military part. Racism is alive and well in the military like it is in everyday life, period!
Jesse Lee Peterson says Blacks are suffering not because of racism but because Blacks are immoral. This guy has a radio show at http://www.bondinfo.org
http://www.darfurscores.org/hillary-clinton
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