’Ain’t no crystal stair’
“I think one man is just as good as another so long as he’s honest and decent and not a n*gg*r or a Chinaman.”
—Future President Harry S. Truman in a 1911 letter to his wife, Bess.
Politics makes for strange bedfellows. Born and bred in the border state of Missouri, which did not support Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election, slavery and abolitionism maintained a parallel existence, 33rd President Harry Truman shared the sentiments of the environment he grew up in.
The politics of necessity
“It is race prejudice I guess. But I am strongly of the opinion that negroes ought to be in Africa, yellow men in Asia, and white men in Europe and America.”
—Another quote from Truman’s writings
Truman, like all successful politicians, recognized that expediency and pragmatism were the order of the day. So when “Negro” sergeant Isaac Woodard a veteran of the Pacific theater in World War Il, was snatched out a bus in Georgia in February 1946, then severely beaten to the point where he was blinded, the newly sworn in President was outraged. The fact that the newly honorably discharged Woodard was in his uniform, and possibly aware of the need for troops for the Cold War already chilling the globe, forced Truman’s hand.
The police chief responsible for the assault was acquitted, but the hue and cryin’ its aftermath led to an important milestone in the annals of Civil Rights.
“When a mayor and a city marshal can take a Negro Sergeant off a bus in South Carolina, beat him up and put out one of his eyes, and nothing is done about it, something is radically wrong with the system, Truman wrote.
This and other incidents led to 1948’s Executive Order 9981 ending discrimination, and leading to integration in the armed forces.
Growing pains
“I’m sure there was racism in Vietnam, but I didn’t see a whole lot of it on a peer to peer level. Also, I think the military helps an awful lot of people rid themselves of racist ideas.”
—Anonymous Southern
White Vietnam veteran.
While the push to desegregate started in the Korean Conflict, the struggle was by no means over. A decade later, mobilization to southeast Asia and Vietnam saw the highest percentage of African-American servicemen in the armed forces in history. As many as 300,000 Blacks, or 16% (up to 25% of enlistees) in country faced down the Communist menace. The Library of Congress indicated that 31% of the combat arms (Armor, Artillery, and Infantry) were Black.
Curiously, in a designated combat zone they were subjected to displays of the Confederate flag, and parades of White troops in Ku Klux Klan robes at bases across the country.
After hostilities ended, expatriate Vietnamese fishermen were greeted by less than hospitable reception from elements of the Klan in Louisiana, Texas, and other environs in the South leading to judicial legislation, but that is another story.
And the beat goes on
Rocking the boat and its consequences: The struggle continues
“…we must address our blind spots around race.”
—Ben Jonsson from a July 1, 2020
article in The Air Force Times
Col. Benjamin Jonsson, a White Air Force officer who accused his fellow “White colonels” of being “blind to institutional racism,” was the subject of blistering criticism from subordinates at MacDill Air Force Base where he served as commander from 2020 to 2022. Jonsson, a 1999 U. S. Air Force Academy graduate (who’s served as vice superintendent), had been nominated by President Joe Biden and is awaiting promotion to brigadier general.
Among those opposing his advancement is Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. most notable for his opposition to DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) programs. Schmitt took issue with an op-ed Jonsson wrote for the Air Force Times, provocatively titled “DearWhite Colonel,” in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In a nutshell, Jonsson admonished his peers in the officer corps for not actively pursuing the quest for equality, and insisting continued conversation about race is essential for cohesive military readiness.
The NAACP sent a letter to Senator Charles Schumer, D-NY, and other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) requesting their support in encouraging Senator Schmitt to lift the hold placed on Colonel Jonsson, stemming from his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion as the reason.
“Colonel Benjamin Jonsson is widely and openly regarded by Air Force leadership as a critically important future leader…” the letter read.
Sen. Schmitt, like Truman is a native Missourian who regularly supports Donald Trump and the tenets of the MAGA (Make America Great Again), and is traditionally against what he calls “the tyranny” of the policies of the left. He also seems to regard the Colonel as “too woke,” for the military he envisions for the future.
At this writing, Ben Jonsson’s promotion remains in limbo and the struggle continues.
