The killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked outrage around the country. That caused the Pentagon to look into institutional racism within the military.
KPBS is hosting a "Institutional Racism In The US Military" panel discussion on how the military may either be better or worse than the rest of American society when it comes to tackling the issues surrounding race, how a colorblind military has failed to address systemic problems and some of the solutions the military might consider for addressing these challenges.
The panel, moderated by KPBS military reporter Steve Walsh, features:
- Col. Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders and former chief prosecutor for the U.S. Air Force;
- Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of Task Force One Navy;
- L. E. (Michael) Johnson, the national western region vice president for the Montford Point Marine Association; and
- Stephon Williams is president of H.A.B.U. (Having A Better Understanding) Leadership Development Training.
Protecting Our Defenders is a national organization focused on sexual assault and misogyny in the military. The group has also looked at racial disparities in the service.
Task Force One Navy's purpose is to investigate institutional racism throughout the Navy, covering a wide range of topics from disparities in promotion, criminal justice and medical outcomes.
Montford Point Marine Association (NMPMA) was founded to memorialize the legacy of the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. Their members range from original World War II vets to Marines who left the Corps in 2020.
Williams has worked as a facilitator and instructor/trainer with the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI).
Walsh joined KPBS Midday Edition on Thursday to talk about the "Institutional Racism In The US Military" virtual panel discussion, which starts at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The event is free to join but registration is required. Once registered, an email with links to the event will be sent out to participants.
This event is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a major funder of the American Homefront Project. American Homefront is a collaboration between NPR and seven public radio stations that looks at veterans and the military.
