Latest news with #Brookshire
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black veterans sound the alarm over military DEI purge
Black veterans are warning that the Trump administration's effort to purge the Defense Department of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content is sending a negative message that could impact recruitment efforts. The Pentagon has faced backlash in recent weeks after efforts to comply with President Trump's executive order banning DEI in the military resulted in the removal of webpages dedicated to Jackie Robinson; Colin Powell; Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers, a Black recipient of the Medal of Honor; the Navajo Code Talkers and Japanese Americans. Though the military later restored the pages and said the removals were a mistake, veterans like Richard Brookshire said there is a message being sent. 'There's executive orders that actually do things, and then there's executive orders that are made to send a message, and that message was very clear. Their intent is to try and resegregate as much of this society as possible that they think they can get away with. If they can't do it through legal means, they're going to try and do it by making Black people feel that we are unwelcome or unsafe in these spaces,' Brookshire, co-CEO and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project, told The Hill. 'The President does not put forward an executive order like that, and then also have his Secretary of Defense strip all of this Black history from these websites without this being an aligned effort. These are not isolated things that are occurring in a vacuum.' Brookshire added that the idea of DEI is not new to the military, but it wasn't always known as DEI. Rather, it was equal opportunity. Learning about other service members' history and culture was also a natural occurrence. 'We come from a massive, diverse country and because of that, we need to make sure that we're creating a unit where people from all different walks of life can thrive, work together and accomplish the mission,' he said. 'They have to take people from all walks of life and create a cohesive unit, and that means understanding how people are diverse and how to create an inclusive environment.' A 2023 survey by Syracuse University found that there are more than 350,000 active duty Black Americans and more than 2.4 million Black veterans. The majority of the survey's respondents reported having a good experience in the military, and more than half said that they considered encountering racial discrimination in making their decision to enlist. Trump has made it a top goal of his second term to eliminate DEI across all federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding. In his January executive order, Trump said he is 'committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States. No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.' The order also instructed the military to refrain from teaching that America's founding documents are racist or sexist and about gender ideology. Trump defended his military DEI purge as a way to ensure 'unit cohesion.' But some have expressed concerns over the use of this phrase, which has historically been used to justify segregation as well as deterring LGBTQ and women from enlisting. The Defense Department buckled down on its goals to continue purging DEI material even after the webpages were removed. 'As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department,' Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot said in a statement. ''Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms.' Just this week, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., removed nearly 400 books that allegedly promote DEI. When reached for comment, the Pentagon referred The Hill to chief spokesman Sean Parnell's March video. In the video, he states that the Pentagon has taken action to identify and archive DEI content from websites and social media platforms. 'The previous administration's zealous and destructive commitment to DEI not only divided our nation and weakened our force, but it also reduced our country's finest to their immutable characteristics,' Parnell said. 'Without question, this task was an arduous but incredibly important undertaking. We enforced an aggressive timeline for our DOD services and agencies to comb through a vast array of content while ensuring that our force remains ready and lethal.' He acknowledged that some content was 'incorrectly pulled offline' and added that 'history is not DEI.' 'We are so proud of our nation's heroes and our heritage. We honor the accomplishments of our war fighters and the content of their character. Americans past and present are the greatest people the world has ever known, and we live in the greatest country the world has ever known, and our strength now and has always been our unity and shared purpose.' But Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) told The Hill he found it difficult to accept the administration's explanation. ''Sorry' is meaningful when you don't have the intention of it happening again,' said Moore, a veteran. 'And the problem is, this keeps on happening. It's much more difficult to give people grace when you understand that there is an intentionality that's happening around all of this.' For Moore, highlighting the contributions of Black veterans is a critical recruitment tool. Moore, who was deployed to Afghanistan, enlisted after being inspired by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. If Powell, a chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could succeed in the military, then so could he. He said he worries now that erasing the history of those like Powell — even accidentally — could deter others from seeing the military as a viable option. 'I saw this son of Jamaica immigrants, who went to school in the Bronx, who now led our coalition forces into an overwhelming wind and Operation Desert Storm, and was a national hero, four-star general, national security adviser. And I looked at Colin Powell, and I saw myself,' Moore told The Hill. 'I'm a very proud combat veteran. I don't know if that part of my history would have been real had it not been for understanding the history of Colin Powell. And so I do think there is a danger of wiping away the relevancy of people who for many young men and women who are looking to find their own personal way, that they should be able to look up and say, I see myself in a way that I looked up and saw Colin Powell and I saw a vision for what my life could be.' For Moore, it seems the administration is erasing histories in an effort to minimize the sacrifices Black and brown veterans made. 'We're talking about banning the history of people like Jackie Robinson and the Tuskegee Airmen, people who were fighting for a country because they loved their country in many ways more than their country loved them back,' Moore said. 'I don't think their history should be minimized. I think one of the most empowering things that we can do is actually celebrate not just what they sacrificed, but why they were willing to sacrifice in that moment.' Brookshire said such efforts to limit information around non-white veterans are particularly concerning because many Americans are unaware of the sacrifices Black and brown soldiers have made in the military. 'For Black people, we have a very keen understanding of what our history is in the military,' he said. 'So stripping that history from the websites is not for us, the stripping of the websites, I believe, is … to ensure that people who don't know the history of Black veterans don't get to know the history. They don't get to know the sort of contributions that Black people have made to this country.' Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.) told The Hill that the stories of Black veterans 'speak to the American spirit – love of country, overcoming adversity, and even discrimination.' 'Our history, even its blemishes which are like scars from battle, make us who we are,' Bishop, who served in the army between 1969 and 1971, said. 'Hiding our history does not change it but recognizing it is the foundation for overcoming our differences so that we can come together even stronger. We know that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, but hiding this history also means missing out on stories that inspire future generations to take the oath, wear the uniform, serve and even sacrifice themselves for all Americans.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
05-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Black veterans sound the alarm over military DEI purge
Black veterans are warning that the Trump administration's effort to purge the Defense Department of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content is sending a negative message that could impact recruitment efforts. The Pentagon has faced backlash in recent weeks after efforts to comply with President Trump's executive order banning DEI in the military resulted in the removal of webpages dedicated to Jackie Robinson; Colin Powell; Army Maj. Gen. Charles C. Rogers, a Black recipient of the Medal of Honor; the Navajo Code Talkers and Japanese Americans. Though the military later restored the pages and said the removals were a mistake, veterans like Richard Brookshire said there is a message being sent. 'There's executive orders that actually do things, and then there's executive orders that are made to send a message, and that message was very clear. Their intent is to try and resegregate as much of this society as possible that they think they can get away with. If they can't do it through legal means, they're going to try and do it by making Black people feel that we are unwelcome or unsafe in these spaces,' Brookshire, co-CEO and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project, told The Hill. 'The President does not put forward an executive order like that, and then also have his Secretary of Defense strip all of this Black history from these websites without this being an aligned effort. These are not isolated things that are occurring in a vacuum.' Brookshire added that the idea of DEI is not new to the military, but it wasn't always known as DEI. Rather, it was equal opportunity. Learning about other service members' history and culture was also a natural occurrence. 'We come from a massive, diverse country and because of that, we need to make sure that we're creating a unit where people from all different walks of life can thrive, work together and accomplish the mission,' he said. 'They have to take people from all walks of life and create a cohesive unit, and that means understanding how people are diverse and how to create an inclusive environment.' A 2023 survey by Syracuse University found that there are more than 350,000 active duty Black Americans and more than 2.4 million Black veterans. The majority of the survey's respondents reported having a good experience in the military, and more than half said that they considered encountering racial discrimination in making their decision to enlist. Trump has made it a top goal of his second term to eliminate DEI across all federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding. In his January executive order, Trump said he is 'committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States. No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.' The order also instructed the military to refrain from teaching that America's founding documents are racist or sexist and about gender ideology. Trump defended his military DEI purge as a way to ensure 'unit cohesion.' But some have expressed concerns over the use of this phrase, which has historically been used to justify segregation as well as deterring LGBTQ and women from enlisting. The Defense Department buckled down on its goals to continue purging DEI material even after the webpages were removed. 'As Secretary Hegseth has said, DEI is dead at the Defense Department,' Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot said in a statement. ''Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission. We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms.' Just this week, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., removed nearly 400 books that allegedly promote DEI. When reached for comment, the Pentagon referred The Hill to chief spokesman Sean Parnell's March video. In the video, he states that the Pentagon has taken action to identify and archive DEI content from websites and social media platforms. 'The previous administration's zealous and destructive commitment to DEI not only divided our nation and weakened our force, but it also reduced our country's finest to their immutable characteristics,' Parnell said. 'Without question, this task was an arduous but incredibly important undertaking. We enforced an aggressive timeline for our DOD services and agencies to comb through a vast array of content while ensuring that our force remains ready and lethal.' He acknowledged that some content was 'incorrectly pulled offline' and added that 'history is not DEI.' 'We are so proud of our nation's heroes and our heritage. We honor the accomplishments of our war fighters and the content of their character. Americans past and present are the greatest people the world has ever known, and we live in the greatest country the world has ever known, and our strength now and has always been our unity and shared purpose.' But Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) told The Hill he found it difficult to accept the administration's explanation. ''Sorry' is meaningful when you don't have the intention of it happening again,' said Moore, a veteran. 'And the problem is, this keeps on happening. It's much more difficult to give people grace when you understand that there is an intentionality that's happening around all of this.' For Moore, highlighting the contributions of Black veterans is a critical recruitment tool. Moore, who was deployed to Afghanistan, enlisted after being inspired by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. If Powell, a chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could succeed in the military, then so could he. He said he worries now that erasing the history of those like Powell — even accidentally — could deter others from seeing the military as a viable option. 'I saw this son of Jamaica immigrants, who went to school in the Bronx, who now led our coalition forces into an overwhelming wind and Operation Desert Storm, and was a national hero, four-star general, national security adviser. And I looked at Colin Powell, and I saw myself,' Moore told The Hill. 'I'm a very proud combat veteran. I don't know if that part of my history would have been real had it not been for understanding the history of Colin Powell. And so I do think there is a danger of wiping away the relevancy of people who for many young men and women who are looking to find their own personal way, that they should be able to look up and say, I see myself in a way that I looked up and saw Colin Powell and I saw a vision for what my life could be.' For Moore, it seems the administration is erasing histories in an effort to minimize the sacrifices Black and brown veterans made. 'We're talking about banning the history of people like Jackie Robinson and the Tuskegee Airmen, people who were fighting for a country because they loved their country in many ways more than their country loved them back,' Moore said. 'I don't think their history should be minimized. I think one of the most empowering things that we can do is actually celebrate not just what they sacrificed, but why they were willing to sacrifice in that moment.' Brookshire said such efforts to limit information around non-white veterans are particularly concerning because many Americans are unaware of the sacrifices Black and brown soldiers have made in the military. 'For Black people, we have a very keen understanding of what our history is in the military,' he said. 'So stripping that history from the websites is not for us, the stripping of the websites, I believe, is … to ensure that people who don't know the history of Black veterans don't get to know the history. They don't get to know the sort of contributions that Black people have made to this country.' Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.) told The Hill that the stories of Black veterans 'speak to the American spirit – love of country, overcoming adversity, and even discrimination.' 'Our history, even its blemishes which are like scars from battle, make us who we are,' Bishop, who served in the army between 1969 and 1971, said. 'Hiding our history does not change it but recognizing it is the foundation for overcoming our differences so that we can come together even stronger. We know that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, but hiding this history also means missing out on stories that inspire future generations to take the oath, wear the uniform, serve and even sacrifice themselves for all Americans.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Junction City Eagle Scout cleans community skate park
JUNCTION CITY (KSNT) – A high school freshman is making his mark on the Junction City Community one paint stroke at a time. Eagle Scout Dylan Brookshire is renovating the Bramlage Skate Park with the assistance of the Flint Hills Leadership Group. So far, the group has invested $1,500 into the project. The next step for the project is to find a local artist to paint family-friendly artwork on the park. 'He [Brookshire] is a perfectionist so if you are working with him, you can already establish greatness,' Breeana Toles with the Flint Hills Leadership Group said. 'He makes sure the blue Panthers tape is out so we are not expanding over the lines.' Brookshire and others have spent the last three Sundays scrubbing, cleaning painting and repairing the skate park. Burlingame locals rally around restaurant after overnight fire 'It's important because we want it to be safe for everyone to use and with a better-looking skate park it will be a better place to come together as a community,' Brookshire said. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
2 people arrested in fatal shooting of Milwaukee 4-year-old
Two people were behind bars Monday, and face felony charges in the shooting death last week of 4-year-old JaiNadia Little. Anthony Brookshire, 41, and Derreanna Little, 25, were arrested over the weekend and charged with neglecting a child with the consequence of death, as a party to a crime. Brookshire also faces two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brookshire and Little made initial court appearances on Saturday. Bonds for their release were set at $100,000 and $5,000, respectively. They remained in custody Monday, online jail records show. Brookshire and Little are expected to be back in court March 4 for a preliminary hearing. Little, who prosecutors believe is JaiNadia's aunt, also has a bail hearing set for Wednesday. More: A 15-year-old Milwaukee boy is identified as victim found in burning car last week A criminal complaint paints a grim picture of what unfolded inside the northwest Milwaukee home where the drama unfolded on Feb. 17. A 911 dispatcher got a call just after 9:45 p.m. The dispatcher asked what the emergency was, but got no answer. Moments later, the woman could be heard screaming, then the call dropped, the complaint says. A second call was placed to 911 from the same number and the woman is again heard. "Stay with me, stay with me," a female's voice is heard saying. "It's OK, you hear me, stay woke.' Moments later, the woman yells, "Anthony, go get my baby." The woman didn't speak directly with the dispatcher in either call. Milwaukee police went to the home in the area of North 39th Street and Sheridan Avenue. While there, the woman, identified later as Little, told the officers her 4-year-old niece had been shot, according to the complaint. JaiNadia was not in the home when police got there; she had been driven to St. Joseph's Hospital, where she later died from a gunshot wound to the chest. A Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's report indicated JaiNadia was shot in a bedroom. Inside the home, police discovered "a deflated air mattress with blood spatter near a hole in the upper center portion of the mattress," the complaint says. A single spent 7.62x39 casing also was located on the mattress, according to the document. Little and Brookshire "made differing statements" to investigators, the complaint says. More: Trial date set for man charged with killing UW-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh Initially, Little refused to disclose the location of the shooting. Little claimed she found her 1-year-old daughter holding a gun when she went to check on the two children, the criminal complaint says. Brookshire claimed he was at a gas station when the shooting occurred, and that Little was screaming about what happened as he returned to the home. He told investigators he was unaware of any guns in the house, and said he didn't know how the child could have accessed one. Brookshire has been convicted in the past of six felonies, and was on active community supervision with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections at the time of the shooting, court records show. More: Chicago car thief convicted of killing man in Milwaukee Taco Bell parking lot gets 30 years in prison Five of his convictions involve firearm offenses, which prohibit him from possessing one. Brookshire admitted to investigators he attempted to "clean the scene" by placing the weapon in a bag, the complaint said. Brookshire faces nearly 60 years in prison if he is convicted. Little faces up to 25 years. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2 people arrested in fatal shooting of Milwaukee 4-year-old
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brookshire Grocery Co. donates $60K to NWLA emergency responders
BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—A local company has donated tens of thousands of dollars to support the sheriff's, police, and fire departments in Bossier City and Shreveport. Brookshire Grocery Company awarded the donations at a First Responder Luncheon in Bossier City. Hundreds of officers, firefighters, and emergency response personnel. The luncheon featured hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage on a stick. Checks for $10K each were handed out to the Bossier City Police Department, Shreveport Police Department, Bossier Fire Department, Shreveport Fire Department, and Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish Sheriff's Departments. Brad Brookshire is the chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Company. He said providing lunch for heroes is one way the company can show respect and share an appreciation for what our first responders do. 'We are deeply honored as a company to recognize the hard work and contributions that first responders make to their communities every day and to be able to donate in a meaningful way to their organizations,' said Brookshire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
