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Trump’s Black History Month proclamation implies racism in the military is in the past. It’s not.

The following article by Eugene Scott was posed on the Washington Post website February 4, 2018:

Credit:Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

The tension between black Americans and President Trump has been clear since his campaign, and it perhaps is most exemplified in his incredibly low approval rating with black voters — 6 percent, according to Gallup.

Comments about immigrants from black countries, blaming anti-racism activists for violence during the rally in Charlottesville, and feelings that he has pitted National Football League players protesting racism against veterans have led some to doubt whether Trump’s vision for a “great” America includes black Americans.

Well in Trump’s 2018 Black History Month proclamation, the president chose to highlight the contributions of one particular group of black Americans: veterans.

The president wrote:

“This annual observance is an opportunity to remember the challenges of our past, but also to honor countless African-American heroes who inspire us to shape our country’s future.  This year’s theme, ‘African Americans in Times of War,’ calls our attention to the heroic contributions of African Americans during our Nation’s military conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to present-day operations.”

The president proceeds to highlight the contributions of black veterans to America and seems to imply that racism in the military as something that was a significant problem more than half a century ago, saying:

“It was not until 1948 that President Harry S. Truman ordered desegregation of the military, providing ‘equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the Armed Forces without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.’  It took another 5 years before the Secretary of Defense abolished the last segregated African-American military unit.”

The history of racism in the U.S. military goes back to before the United States was established, with black people defending a country that didn’t protect them. And while many laws have changed, legislating against biased and hateful beliefs is impossible and has actually become of increased concern in recent years. To some, the lack of diversity among the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other high-level positions is a reflection of the continued challenges black people face in the military.

Just last year, Protect Our Defenders, a nonprofit that deals with harassment and abuse in the military, produced a report about ongoing racial discrimination in the military.

The report read:

“Military leadership has been aware of significant racial disparity in its justice process for years, and has made no apparent effort to find the cause of the disparity or remedy it. The leadership has vigorously opposed any suggestion that the commander-controlled justice system is hindered by conflicts of interest or bias and has gone to great lengths to tout the fairness of the system. However, the military’s own data raises serious challenges to the idea that the system in its current form is capable of delivering impartial justice.”

And following the riots in Charlottesville, where white supremacists sought to protect memorials honoring Confederate generals that are largely seen as symbols of racial hatred, Washington Post military reporter Dan Lamothe wrote about top military officials’ concern about some service members and veterans joining right-wing extremist or white-supremacist groups, or acting out their ideologies.

Trump was correct to note that blacks have been key figures in the military since before the founding of America. But the way Trump spoke about the black American experience in the military honors the patriotism of black Americans in the military without addressing their ongoing challenges with racial discrimination.

A more comprehensive understanding of the black American experience as it pertains to the military could lead the president to understand why so many black Americans feel anger about his pitting the military against black Americans in his condemnation of NFL players. For these voters, pointing out racism isn’t disrespectful to veterans. Instead, drawing attention to racism is meant to shed light on ongoing racial discrimination in the military.

Trump often evokes respect for the military when challenging Americans fighting discrimination and injustice in the country. But never does he address that challenges remain in the armed forces, as Foreign Policy’s Thomas Ricks wrote:

“To believe racial discrimination ceases to exist in the military is a lie — and a dangerous one.”

If the president would like to see his approval ratings increase into the double digits with black voters, offering solutions to address the racial discrimination that many black voters — veterans included — could be an acceptable place to begin.

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