Admiral Gilday: Racism Is Real, We Must Talk About It

Support the troops on Juneteenth: read critical race theory.

So might say Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday, who has recommended that all sailors read Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist. Admiral Gilday sailed over to Capitol Hill Tuesday to respond to some rabble-rousing Republicans’ questions about his literary recommendation:

“Inwardly, we have to understand ourselves. And we have to understand critically that we value diversity,” said Gilday, defending his recommendation of the book, even as he acknowledged he does not agree with everything in it.

Gilday’s comments come as military officials have faced a chorus of GOP voices questioning the Defense Department’s efforts to promote diversity and combat extremism in the ranks.

…The efforts by Republican congressman [sic] to question the military’s efforts to promote diversity come amid a nationwide GOP push against promoting “critical race theory,” a decades-old academic concept which recognizes systemic racism as part of American society, and which the Trump administration attempted to turn into a political talking point.

“Initially you mentioned critical race theory. I’m not a theorist. I’m the Chief of Naval Operations,” Gilday responded to Lamborn. “What I can tell you is factually, based on a substantial amount of time talking to sailors in the fleet, there’s racism in the Navy just like there’s racism in our country. And the way we’re going to get after it is to be honest about it, not to sweep it under the rug, and to talk about it” [Michael Conte, “Navy’s Highest-Ranking Officer Confronts Republican Critics and Stresses Importance of Combating Racism and Misinformation,” CNN, 2021.06.15].

Problems don’t go away by ignoring them. Listen to the Admiral: read good books, talk about real issues, and for the sake of America’s military readiness, not to mention our principles, be anti-racist.