Treatment Of Black Cadets At The Virginia Military Institute Demands Full Investigation, Department Of Defense Action On Systemic Racism

Press Release

House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), a 30-year Army veteran, released a statement regarding the Washington Post report on persistent threats and hostility directed toward Black cadets at the Virginia Military Institute:

"Young men and women choose to join the armed services out of duty and love of country. The threats, racism and hostile learning environment Black cadets have endured for years at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) are unacceptable and demand investigation, disciplinary action and concrete policy changes to protect these students. The racist legacies of the Ku Klux Klan and Confederacy run contrary to the foundational mission of the United States military to protect all Americans, regardless of race or background.

"As one of six Senior Military Colleges, VMI has a close working relationship with the Department of Defense. Each and every student at VMI is required to serve in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Their actions and conduct reflect on the broader defense community, and the Department of Defense has a responsibility to address these issues.

"Our armed services have too often fallen short in matters of diversity and inclusion. Black servicemembers remain deeply underrepresented in senior military leadership, more than half of minority servicemembers have witnessed white supremacist or racist activity within the ranks and Black servicemembers face a military justice system that is disproportionately tilted against them. These failures threaten our national security and military readiness.

"We need to address these longstanding systemic barriers and biases at every level of our armed services - from pre-commissioning institutions like VMI and the military academies that train our next generation of leaders, to our recruitment and advancement of servicemembers of color."

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