A photo of 16 Black West Point cadets is gaining national attention and being criticized for how the women are posing. Graduating seniors traditionally stand in front of Nininger Hall, a historic site at the U.S. Military Academy. This particular photo showing students with raised, clenched fists is what critics are calling a political agenda.
A blogger shared the photo last week, citing the photo as an “overt display of the black lives matter movement is not, in itself wrong, but to do so while in uniform is completely unprofessional and not in keeping with what the USMA stands for”. The blog post titled, “Racism Within West Point” circulated on the web along with the photo on Facebook drawing much backlash.
School administrators are investigating the photo to determine if it, in fact, violates any code of conduct in regards to political expression.
With criticism, comes support.
THIS. Fearless, flawless, fierce. Ready. @WestPoint_USMA #Classof2016 @PatrickMurphyPA @AditiHardikar @MHarrisPerry pic.twitter.com/rTf1XHIHdM
— Sue Fulton (@suefulton) April 27, 2016
Being a Black woman cadet at West Point is a courageous statement of activism… But go ahead and investigate https://t.co/ZsdACrunNy
— Fred Shropshire (@FredWCNC) May 9, 2016
Never mind the raised fist dates back to the goddess Ishtar in 3500 B.C., but do your thing West Point… https://t.co/7UWpk4ZZ7m
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) May 8, 2016
Mary Tobin, West Point grad and mentor to a few of the women pictured calls the photo anything but a political statement.
“This is not about a fist. This is about the bandage of racism at my beloved alma mater being ripped from an old festering wound. I won’t turn coat and run while these young women are served up for the slaughter as if they aren’t the brilliant, beautiful, talented, and strong leaders I know them to be. I believe in West Point and I believe in all my brothers and sisters in the Long Gray Line. We are better than this and we will be better than this,” Tobin wrote in a Facebook post.
The school has yet to announce whether any disciplinary action will be carried out for the cadets. The group is 16 of 18 Black women to graduate this month in a class of more than 900. None of the cadets in the photo have released a comment.
Tell us below in the comments section if you think the photo deserves discpline or is being taken out of context.
