(TriceEdneyWire.com) – The fight for fairness will never be easy. Fairness is the quality of making impartial, just, and equitable decisions, free from bias, discrimination, or dishonesty. It involves providing equal opportunities and adhering to fair rules, often balancing individual circumstances to ensure just outcomes. It means making decisions by being open-minded and objective. When people say they are anti-DEI, they are telling us they do not believe in fairness. They are exposing themselves as individuals who do not believe everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed.
They are revealing the degree to which they are willing to accept dishonest tactics that are developed to hold back women and people of color. The anti-DEI initiative has proven to be an effective offensive ploy waged in the culture war against the Black community. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who serves as the principal defense policy advisor to the President, knows he sits in a perfect position to dismantle all racial fairness throughout the military ranks. Before his appointment by the Trump administration, Hegseth wrote books critical of the U.S. military as “woke,” while suggesting that diversity throughout the ranks had weakened the force.
Having such a person, lacking character and integrity, in a high-ranking position of power is dangerous. As a result of the policy influence given to Hegseth and others like him, the culture war has become a war without end. It is an everlasting conflict meant to reshape societal norms in ways that will negatively impact the careers of future servicemen and women. Hegseth has said repeatedly that he is determined to change a culture corrupted by “foolish,” “reckless,” and “woke” leaders from previous administrations. We are constantly told that the Department of Defense, sometimes referred to as the Department of War, is now controlled by meritocracy. While meritocracy is a system in which power and positions are assigned based on individual ability, talent, and achievement rather than social background, wealth, or nepotism, it still requires a fair promotion system. Meritocracy, in the true sense, still means that everyone has an equal chance to succeed regardless of background, race, and gender. Today, about 43% of the 1.3 million troops on active duty are people of color. But those leading the military are overwhelmingly white and male.
The New York Times reported that Defense Secretary Hegseth blocked the promotion of two Black men and two female Army officers who were on track to become one-star generals. According to the Times article, Hegseth pressed senior Army leaders, including Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, to remove the four names from a list of about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men. Driscoll refused, citing the officers’ decades-long records of exemplary service. It is customary that after a service board approves a list of colonels to be promoted to general, the defense secretary is not supposed to intervene, military officials say. Despite standard procedures, Hegseth removed the four names from the list and announced that President Trump had approved his new list of 29 Army colonels for promotion.
“If these reports are accurate, Secretary Hegseth’s decision to remove four decorated officers from a promotion list after having been selected by their peers for their merit and performance is not only outrageous, it would be illegal,” Sen. Jack Reed said in a statement. What message does this send to the public about the military’s ability to remain apolitical and free from society’s cultural wars? What message does this send to minorities and women currently in the military who have hopes of moving up the career ladder based on merit? And will there ever be another Gen. Colin Powell or Gen. Charles Q. Brown? Both were Black officers appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. Gen. Brown was abruptly fired from that role by Hegseth without explanation.
Brown Jr. is an example of Black excellence. He is now a retired U.S. Air Force general who served as the 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, prior to that appointment, served as the 22nd chief of staff of the Air Force. Like so many other Black servicemen and women, Brown came from a proud military family. His father, Charles Sr., served for 30 years in the Army, rising to the rank of colonel. His paternal grandfather, Robert E. Brown, was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the Pacific Theater, including Hawaii and Saipan. For many Black households, the military was not just a job but a family tradition handed down from one generation to the next. It also served as a pathway to Black prosperity and the middle class.
When Hegseth denied four officers their rightful promotion, it was a painful and personal reminder to the two Black men and two women that discrimination within the ranks and the Pentagon is still alive. It also serves as an unwelcome message to young Blacks—from JROTC students to college graduates—who believed the military glass ceiling was already broken. It is clear with this current administration that promotion to the highest ranks will never be about merit or fairness. It’s all about white males.
David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”
