NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. military is no longer recognizing cultural awareness months.
It's the latest step in an effort by the Trump administration to end initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
When asked to describe his reaction to the Department of Defense’s decision in one word, Rev. Cozi Bailey replied: "stunning"
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Bailey is the Virginia NAACP State Conference president and a 23-year Marine Corps veteran.
"It's an incredible turnabout on the way the Department of Defense has operated since my initial involvement with the department 50 years ago," Bailey said. “I think it shows a fundamental lack of understanding of one of the key components of what creates a force of readiness, which is what our military is supposed to do and the celebration of the diverse aspects of all people who make up that force of readiness."
He said he wouldn’t be as eager to join the military in 2025 now as he was back when he joined in 1971.
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He also said the DoD’s decision makes him question whether he wants to encourage young people to join the military.
The first sentence in the department’s official news release about the decision reads: "Our unity and purpose are instrumental to meeting the Department's warfighting mission. Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.”
It goes on to say, however, service members and civilians can still participate in cultural awareness events off-duty.
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“Utilizing a statement that’s made by one of the people who I admire, ‘An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ So in order to change those things, we have to speak. We have to engage with our elected officials, with those who are put there to represent us in the way that we feel," said Bailey. "So yes, this is an injustice, and yes, we are already engaging with our elected officials to try to turn these things around."
News 3 also reached out to Hampton Roads military bases for reaction and to see how they plan to handle any concerns service members may now have. A spokesperson said bases are following the directive and encouraged service members to go through their chain of command if they have concerns.
