Calling the Air Force to the Carpet on Racial Issues
In the Air Force, Airmen stand on the carpet when being held accountable for their actions. The death of George Floyd has sparked outrage throughout the United States. CMSAF Kaleth Wright, the second African-American Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, took to Facebook with a moving “Who am I” piece. General Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, as the most senior ranking member, followed up CMSAF Wrights’ piece, with his own words. Then together, our most senior leaders in the Air Force, conducted a town hall on Facebook. Although I am excited to see the reaction of our leaders, I must point out the Air Force has known for years there is a racial problem within the force.
The Air Force has many underlying racial issues. A 2017 Protect Our Defenders report, identified the Air Force as the military branch with the “highest racial disparities” for court-martials and non-judicial punishments. Furthermore, the Air Force did not take substantive actions to address the findings of the report and attempted to conceal the information. INTEGRITY FIRST is an Air Force core value that is ingrained into every Airmen. Airmen are expected to live that core value. Shouldn’t the Air Force, as in institution, be expected to do the same?
I’ve been in the Air Force 19 years. During my time, I have not knowingly faced hatred or knowingly been limited in my role due to the color of my skin. However, I have been the only African-American person in meetings and on a team. I have been told by senior leaders my intellect and ability to clearly articulate my ideas surprised them. I’ve also been told, I’m smarter than I look. I don’t know what was meant by that comment but I have never heard a similar comment being made to a white Airmen. These types of comments have an effect on African-American Airmen. I feel like I am representing all African-Americans in the Air Force daily. I do not want to be the one that confirms racial biases. I spend hours preparing, learning and reviewing daily. It has become my motivation and likely aided in my success in the Air Force. The amount of pressure this causes can be exhausting but is normal for many African-Americans in the Air Force. African-American Airmen are not given much room for mistakes and can be judged harsher than white Airman on and off-duty.
The N-word is used by both white and black members of the Air Force. I was never comfortable with how freely the N-word was used by anyone. While in basic training, a white airman used the N-word while quoting a movie and I confronted him. I was told I was overreacting and being sensitive and it’s ok to use it in a quote or a song. I have also heard the phrase “you know how they are” about black people. When I question what was meant by the comment, I was told it’s just a generalization which to me isn’t a good explanation.
Even if I haven’t experienced blatant racism, I have experienced racial ignorance. I have heard and seen leaders attempt to mimic how, they perceive, African-Americans talk and act while reffering to negative behavior. I’ve heard Airmen label African-American women as angry and unapproachable before knowing them. I’ve seen male African-American Airmen told to cut their flattop because it was “faddish,” despite the military accepted flat top by white Airmen. I’ve seen African-American women told their hair is out of regulation because it was not harmfully treated and straightened to mimic white/Caucasian hair. In my experience, I’ve seen African-American leaders be harder on African-American Airmen in an effort not to appear to be lenient or biased.
Over time, the Airmen that make and believe generalizations about African-Americans become leaders and African-American Airmen are impacted by their decisions. We are all impacted by what we see, read, and the company we keep. Unconscious biases can be defined as “the underlying attitudes and stereotypes that people unconsciously attribute to another person or group of people that affect how they understand and engage with a person or group.” Unconscious biases in leaders can erode morale and can negatively impact groups of people as evident in the 2017 Protect Our Defenders report.
It is past time the Air Force address these issues. I am optimistic that the Air Force will attack this issue going forward. Those generalizations made about African-American people have manifested in different ways. Air Force Airmen need training at all levels of leadership to help with understanding the impact of unconscious biases and understand how it affects judgment. Senior leaders must also encourage dialogue within the force and create spaces for Airmen to address these issues. We, African-Americans, must also be forward in addressing these issues with our leaders. I have faith in our senior leaders and I expect we will grow to become a more lethal force as we address these issues and live Air Force core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force or the US Government.
