VADM Manson Brown Saves The Coast Guard, But There Is Little Hope For Dept Homeland Security

Planned Homeland Security headquarters, long delayed and over budget, now in doubt.

Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post - Rev. Anthony Motley takes a walk around the new campus of the Department of Homeland Security, which moved to the west campus of the former St. Elizabeth Hospital. Motley, who grew up in the neighborhood around the campus, has been on the advisory committee for the project of rebuilding the old campus of the former hospital.

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The construction of a massive new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security, billed as critical for national security and the revitalization of Southeast Washington, is running more than $1.5 billion over budget, is 11 years behind schedule and may never be completed, according to planning documents and federal officials.
With the exception of the Coast Guard Headquarters building that opened in 2013, most of the DHS site remains entirely undeveloped. The present estimated completion date of 2026 is being reconsidered with a view towards 2030, or later; and, possibly even never.
 http://voices.yahoo.com/why-believe-department-homeland-security-12669563.html?cat=9
 Vice Admiral Manson Brown saved the Coast Guard and the relocation of Coast Guard Headquarters. This was his last major project in the years before he retired. Now, DHS, may wish their agency had a man like Manson K. Brown.
 In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the George W. Bush administration called for a new, centralized headquarters to strengthen the DHS’s ability to coordinate the fight against terrorism and respond to natural disasters. More than 50 historic buildings would be renovated and new ones erected on the grounds of St. Elizabeths, a onetime insane asylum with a panoramic view of the District.

ice Adm. Manson K. Brown, the deputy commandant for mission support, and Master Chief Petty Officer Richard Hooker tour the construction site of the newly constructed Coast Guard Headquarters here June 28, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Tamargo - See more at: http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/05/14/after-36-years-of-service-vadm-manson-k-brown-retires-from-active-duty/dcms/#sthash.XBrxWQcr.dpuf

Vice Adm. Manson K. Brown and Master Chief Petty Officer Richard Hooker tour the construction site of the newly constructed Coast Guard Headquarters June 28, 2012. Brown led the effort to move the Coast Guard to its new home. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Tamargo

- See more at: http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/05/14/after-36-years-of-service-vadm-manson-k-brown-retires-from-active-duty/#sthash.Q6SUNEzz.dpuf

The entire complex was to be finished as early as this year, at a cost of less than $3 billion, according to the initial plan.
Instead, with the exception of a Coast Guard building that opened in 2013, the grounds remain entirely undeveloped, with the occasional deer grazing amid the vacant Gothic Revival-style structures. The budget has ballooned to $4.5 billion, with completion pushed back to 2026. Even now, as Obama administration officials make the best of their limited funding, they have started design work for a second building that congressional aides and others familiar with the project say may never open.

ice Adm. Manson K. Brown, the deputy commandant for mission support, and Master Chief Petty Officer Richard Hooker tour the construction site of the newly constructed Coast Guard Headquarters here June 28, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Tamargo - See more at: http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/05/14/after-36-years-of-service-vadm-manson-k-brown-retires-from-active-duty/dcms/#sthash.XBrxWQcr.dpuf

(Above VADM Manson K. Brown, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, and Master Chief Richard Hooker tour the construction site for the new Coast Guard Headquarters on June 28, 2012.)
(U. S. Coast Guard photo by Coast Guard Petty Officer  2nd Class Timothy Tamargo)

VADM Brown retired on May 14, 2014 as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support and Commander of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington,DC. Perhaps if he could have been persuaded to stay around for a few more years he could have overseen the transition and move of the DHS Headquarters to the new site. But, they would probably have had to make him Commandant of the Coast Guard to do that.
Instead, on behalf of a grateful Nation, and the entire Coast Guard we wished him fair skies, favorable winds and following seas in his well deserved retirement.

On behalf of the entire Coast Guard and a grateful nation, we wish - See more at: http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/05/14/after-36-years-of-service-vadm-manson-k-brown-retires-from-active-duty/#sthash.sN264g2d.dpuf

And, so at the rate that Congress is approving funding for the project, even the revised completion date of 2026 is unrealistic, and some lawmakers are urging that plans for such an ambitious headquarters complex be scrapped.
At a time of fiscal austerity, money for the project is elusive. “Sometimes you just have to drop back and punt,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), whose oversight subcommittee has criticized federal management of the project. “At what point in time does the government just cut its losses and look for a better way of doing things?”
Former DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, who had called a consolidated headquarters essential for his department’s mission to protect the homeland, acknowledges that the project has become a victim of Washington’s budget wars.

And since Republicans took over the House, they have gutted what the Administration has requested.
The lack of funding has fed even higher costs. Initially, for instance, the plan was to construct the first two buildings at the same time — a headquarters for the Coast Guard and a modern, expanded DHS operations center next door. But at the time, in 2009, the Obama administration asked Congress for just enough money to pay for the Coast Guard building.
As a result, crews that had prepared to dig deep underground to construct the two buildings were forced to shift their plans, erecting a wall between the Coast Guard building and the location of the proposed operations center to stabilize the site. Officials said the wall added to the project’s cost but could not say by how much.
“I suspect there is no constituency for building a new headquarters complex right now,” Duncan said.
Republicans are calling for a reevaluation of the project, suggesting for instance that private developers could build a more modest office complex and lease it to the government. The proposal to raise the kind of headquarters envisioned after Sept. 11 is now practically an orphan in Congress.
“It’s just not going to happen,” said a Republican congressional aide. “The money doesn’t exist.”
( Markon, J. and Crites, A.; Washington Post, May 21, 2014, p. A1) 

Black Cadets At The Coast Guard Academy Wikipedia

Wikipedia

Black Cadets at the Coast Guard Academy

                   

Founded in 1876, the U. S. Coast Guard Academy graduated their first African-American Cadet in 1966. Prior to 1962, there was one African-American Cadet, Jarvis Wright, admitted. The Coast Guard Academy is the only Military Academy that does not require a Congressional appointment, and admission is strictly on the basis of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and consideration of extracurricular involvement. In 1973 there were 28 Black cadets sworn into the Class of 1977, and in 1974 there were 20 Black cadets admitted as part of the Class of 1978.^{[citation needed]} These two years alone quickly raised the percentage of minority cadets at the Academy. The entering class is usually between 200 and 300 cadets, with the entire four class student body consists of no more than about 1000 cadets at any one time.^[1]

Contents 1 The first African-American appointment 2 The first African-American cadets 3 The bridge builder 3.1 Many firsts 4 Life in the cadet barracks 4.1 Organization 5 Programs targeting African-American prospective students 5.1 Eclipse Diversity Weekend 5.2 Super Saturday 6 Notes 7 Further reading 8 External links

  The first African-American appointment

President Kennedy's new frontier was to push the envelop in areas of national life that had not been reached during the terms of President Harry S. Truman or President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A Presidential Executive Order 9981 issued by President Truman had desegregated the armed forces on July 26, 1948, but the service academies were lagging in officer recruiting. As a precursor to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs (Head Start, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Medicare, and the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first Black Supreme Court Justice) President Kennedy challenged the U. S. Coast Guard Academy to tender appointments to black high school students soon after his inauguration.^[2]

  The first African-American cadets

The Coast Guard Academy admitted Jarvis L. Wright into the Corps of Cadets in 1955. He soon later resigned for medical reasons. Since there is not a lot of data on Jarvis Wright, he is typically left out of most historical references to the Coast Guard Academy.^{[citation needed]}
In June 1962, Merle James Smith was admitted to the Coast Guard Academy. In June 1966 he became the first African American to graduate.^[3]
No other Black cadet was admitted until 1964 when London Steverson from Millington, Tennessee and Kenneth Boyd from Leonia, New Jersey were admitted as part of the Class of 1968. This was a small step for the Coast Guard Academy, but it was a giant step for African-Americans in the armed forces. It did not however amount to integration. The presence of these Black cadets did not affect the historical normal operations of the Coast Guard at all. At all social events, mixers, and athletic parties, the Social Hostess, Mrs. Judy Sinton, never provided any Black females. The Black cadets were allowed, even required, to choose escorts from the girls provided.
Attrition rates for entering cadets were high, and the Class of 1968 was no exception. Of the 400 cadets entering in July 1964 as the Class of 1968, only 152 graduated. Both Steverson and Boyd, the two Black cadets in this class, completed the four year course of academic and military education and were graduated.
Because the orders to recruit the first Black cadets came down the Chain-Of-Command from President John F. Kennedy, the Commander-in-Chief, the first Black cadets appeared to be treated differently and well. This was far from the truth. The make up of the Corps of Cadets would not permit it. Nevertheless, there was very little attrition of Black cadets between 1962 and 1972 as compared to the majority group of cadets. Two very gifted and talented Class of 1972 Cadets Robert Treadway Brown (Riverhead, NY) and Robert(?) S. Coon (Orange, NJ) left the academy before they graduated. Most Black cadets who entered graduated because of the unique bonds fused in the crucible of Chase Hall with all of those they called brothers, the specter of the draft, the Vietnam War and the unprecedented opportunity to serve in the United States Coast Guard.
In 1964 the Coast Guard Officer Corps was 99.44 percent white.^{[citation needed]} Less than one-half of one percent of the officer corps comprised Black enlisted men who had been promoted to chief warrant officers. In 1973 the percentage of Black officers was still below one percent,^{[citation needed]} but progress had been made. Also, President Kennedy was no longer Commander-in-Chief. With the large influx of Black cadets in 1973 and 1974, it appears that the upper-class cadets were given the green light to weed out and to eliminate the less qualified Black entering cadets. The alternative hypothesis is that there were other opportunities for young, talented and gifted youngsters.^{[citation needed]} The attrition rate for Black cadets reached astronomical levels. Up to 70 percent of the Black cadets entering were forced to resign before graduation.^{[citation needed]}
At the Academy they had not been prepared for what awaited them out in the field. The all white officer corps was not prepared to accept the Black officers into the Ward Room with all the rights and privileges of white officers. Most of the white officers, both Northerners and Southerners, had never been to school with Black students and were not ready to live, work or take orders from them on ships and bases. The senior officers proved to be especially hostile to the new breed of officer.^{[citation needed]}
Kenny Boyd did not survive his first duty station 1968-69, the USCGC DALLAS (WHEC 716), at Governors Island, New York. He received such adverse fitness reports from his senior officers that he had to be removed from the ship. An Academy graduate is required to serve 5 years of obligated service before he can resign his commission. Kenny Boyd was not allowed complete his obligated service. In 1992, nearly 25 years later, Captain Joseph Jones, USCGA Class of 1972, took command of the USCGC DALLAS (WHEC 716) becoming the first Black officer to command a 378-foot cutter. In 2009, Captain Aaron Davenport, took command of the USCGC JARVIS (WHEC 725).
London Steverson was promoted to (0-4), lieutenant commander in 1978, but he did not receive a promotion during the last ten years of his career. In 6 years he was passed over 5 times for promotion to (0-5), Commander. By an Act of Congress an officer attaining the rank of 0-4 is allowed to remain on active duty until the earliest date that he is eligible for retirement. Steverson was forced to retire in July 1988 with 20 years of active service.^{[citation needed]} His last two years of active duty at Governors Island, New York were very aggravating.^{[citation needed]} After completing a tour of duty at the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System, he was relieved of all responsibilities. He was required to report for work every morning, but he had no official position.^{[citation needed]}

  The bridge builder

In July 1972 Lieutenant London Steverson was reassigned from Juneau, Alaska to Washington, D.C.. He became the Chief of the newly formed Minority Recruiting Section in the John Volpe Building under the Department of Transportation.
As the Chief of the Minority Recruiting Section he desegregated the all-white United States Coast Guard Academy by recruiting more than 50 minority cadets in a two year period from 1973 to 1974.
From 1876 until 1962 the Academy had not admitted any African-American cadets. Given a free hand, open traveling orders, and a budget Steverson was able to reach out to the parents of the best and the brightest in the Black community across the nation. He attended the National Conventions of the NAACP, Operation PUSH, and the Black American Law Students. He established a Sponsor Program where an active duty officer was given the name, address, and telephone number of the most promising applicants to maintain their interest in the Academy. He sponsored familiarization trips to the Academy for the applicants and their parents for all finalist who were interested in seeing the Academy grounds. The first year on the job he was able to deliver 28 bodies to the steps of Chase Halls on Admissions Day to take the Oath of a Cadet.^{[citation needed]} The second year, using the same programs, he was able to deliver another 20 African-American high school graduates to be sworn in as freshman cadets.^{[citation needed]} It was from these African-American high school students that the Coast Guard's first officers of flag rank were to come in the 1990s; the two officers are Rear Admiral Erroll Brown (FL) and Rear Admiral Manson K. Brown (DC). Rear Admiral Manson K. Brown was personally recruited from Saint John's Prep Academy in Washington, DC.^{[citation needed]} Lieutenant Steverson was charged first and foremost with recruiting cadets for the Academy because that is where the bulk of the career officers would come from. However, he was also requested to find minority college graduates who would receive direct commissions as lawyers and as aviators. He recruited several one Vanderbilt Law School. Ms. Deborah Nash Dupree was one such officer. These officers were college graduates and had no need to attend the four year Academy. They received a three month orientation course at the Coast Guard Officer Training Center at Yorktown, Virginia.

  Many firsts

^[4]

• 1977 - Bobby C. Wilks became the first African-American to be promoted to the rank of Captain.
• 1978 - Manson K. Brown became the first Black Regimental Commander in the 101-year history of the Coast Guard Academy.
• 1983 - Angela Dennis and Daphne Reese became the first Black female graduates of the Coast Guard Academy.
• 1998 - Erroll M. Brown USCGA '72 became the first Black admiral in the Coast Guard.
• 2001 - Stephen W. Rochon OCS '75 promoted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half).
• 2000 - [2] Jacqueline James became the first Black female to graduate with an engineering degree from the Coast Guard Academy.
• 2005 - Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Jeanine McIntosh, was awarded her wings at a ceremony at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, after completing her flight training there. She is the first Black female Coast Guard aviator.
• 2005 - Manson K. Brown USCGA '78 was promoted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half).
• 2007 - Second Class (junior year) Cadet DeCarol Davis has been named one of 65 Truman Scholars for 2007 by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Davis was selected out of the total 585 candidates nominated from 280 colleges and universities nationwide. She is not only the first African-American cadet to receive this award at the Academy but the first Cadet in the history of the Academy.

  Life in the cadet barracks

The Coast Guard Academy Corps of Cadets comprises more than 900 men and women from the United States, Europe, Middle East and the Caribbean, each pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission in the U.S. Coast Guard or their host country's military service. Significantly, the Corps of Cadets is run by the cadets themselves.

  Organization

The Corps of Cadets is organized into eight companies (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf and Hotel) forming one regiment. Cadets run the Corps through their regimental chain of command.
Freshmen cadet are called “swabs”. If they survive Swab Summer, from July to August, they are allowed to make a two week summer cruise on the USCGC Eagle, a square rigged barkentine sailing vessel received from the Germans as part of World War II reparations.^[5] When they return to the Academy in September to begin the Fall academic semester, they are called swabs or fourth class cadets (4/c). Second year cadet, sophomores, are referred to as third class cadets (3/c). Third year cadets, juniors, are referred to as second class cadets (2/c). Seniors are referred to as first class cadets (1/c).^[6]

• 1st Class Cadets (1/c, Seniors) fulfill roles as Regimental Staff Officers, Company Commanders, Department Heads and Division Officers.
• 2nd Class Cadets (2/c, Juniors) serve as Assistant Division Officers, providing leadership to and supervising 3rd and 4th Class Cadets. Second Class Cadets have overall responsibility for the 4th Class training program.
• 3rd Class Cadets (3/c, Sophomores) serve as mentors, each providing personal oversight of one or two 4th Class Cadets.
• 4th Class Cadets (4/c, Freshmen) serve as followers, each assimilating into the rigors of military life, while developing teamwork skills essential to success in the Coast Guard.

The professional and personal development of each class is progressive in nature, ensuring that cadets are capable of meeting the demands and responsibilities at the next level in their development.^[6]
A four class system was strictly enforced at the Coast Guard Academy. The 4/c cadets were at the bottom of the pecking order. They had no rights and no privileges. They could only talk to other 4/c cadets. They were only allowed to relax inside their rooms. They were required to run at top speed everywhere they went outside their rooms, including the corridors of Chase Hall and every place on the Academy grounds. They were required to run to class carrying their books while maintaining a military formation. They had to maintain a rigid attention posture with chin in, chest out, shoulder back, back straight, stomach sucked in, arms straight, and thumbs along the seams of their trousers. They were to maintain this posture during meals while seated on no more than three inches of their chair.^{[citation needed]}
The rooms for 4/c cadets were sparsely furnished. They were not allowed televisions, stereos, or radios. These were privileges that had to be earned. They could not leave the barracks or the Academy grounds except on Wednesday evenings and weekends.^{[citation needed]}
The life of a 3/c cadet was a little better. They were allowed radios, but no stereos in their rooms, and they were not required to run everywhere while outside their rooms. They were allowed limited conversation with 2/c and 1/c cadets.^{[citation needed]}
The 2/c cadets were allowed radios and stereos but no cars. They were in charge of indoctrination the 4/c cadets. They taught the 4/c cadets military discipline, etiquette, and how to march. Hazing and an imaginative array of corporal punishment was at their disposal. Group punishment was administered for individual infractions. The 4/c cadets were at their mercy. A 2/c or a 1/c cadet could almost make a slave of a 4/c cadet. Upper-class cadets have been know to require swabs to sweep their rooms, empty their trash bucket, fetch their laundry, or a host of other personal services. The power was infinite and absolute. Rarely was it abused.^{[citation needed]}
The 1/c cadet were allowed almost anything their hearts desired including cars. This four class system developed discipline, initiative, and individual reliance on self. These qualities would be useful in the future while serving as officers on Deep Freeze patrols to Antarctica, or small boat commander in Viet Nam, extended deployments at sea for law enforcement patrols, or isolated duty stations in far flung areas of the world.^{[citation needed]}
There is a Student Organization called the Genesis Club. This is a multi-cultural organization that increases cultural awareness at the Academy through many special events including Eclipse Weekend, a keynote event that brings together cadets, officers and members of the community to celebrate diversity. This club also provides a support system and network to its members, which includes academic support and social activities.^[7]

  Programs targeting African-American prospective students

  Eclipse Diversity Weekend

High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with appointment offers join Academy graduates and cadets for this annual celebration of diversity. This two-day event brings African-American alumni home to renew friendships and professional ties, and to mentor current and future cadets. Eclipse kicks off Friday afternoon with a cadet parade and ends Saturday afternoon with a talent show. Guests are paired with cadet escorts and stay overnight in the cadet barracks (dorms).

  Super Saturday

Designed with the interests and perspectives of underrepresented students and their families in mind, this six-hour Saturday program is offered three times a year and is limited in size to allow greater personal contact with cadets, Admissions staff, faculty members and graduates. Guests attend a slide show and Q&A session, receive a tour of campus, and enjoy lunch in the Cadet Wardroom.^[8]

  Notes

1. ^ http://www.uscga.edu/display1.aspx?id=340
2. ^ Clift, Eleanor. [1], Newsweek, "Inside Kennedy's Inauguration, 50 Years On", January 20, 2011.
3. ^ http://www.uscg.mil/History/uscghist/African_American_Photo_Gallery.asp
4. ^ http://www.uscg.mil/history/faqs/firstsindex.asp
5. ^ http://www.uscga.edu/eagle/index.aspx
6. ^ ^{a b} http://www.uscga.edu/cadetlife/index.aspx
7. ^ http://www.uscga.edu/cadetlife/activities_fellowship_genesis.aspx
8. ^ United States Coast Guard Academy

  Further reading

Excerpts from *Integration of the Armed Forces 1940-1965, Defense Studies Series. Washington D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History, 1985.:

• • Chapter 03 - World War II: The Navy - includes some info on integration on USCG cutters.
  • Chapter 04 World War II: The Marine Corps and the Coast Guard -
  • Chapter 20 Limited Response to Discrimination - includes info about President John F. Kennedy's personal involvement with the first attempts to desegregate the USCG Academy.

  External links

• USCG Diversity Management Division webpage
• USCG COMPASS Program
• Minorities and the Coast Guard
• USCG Academy History
• Rear Adm. Erroll M. Brown retires on June 30, 2005 after 33 years of service.
• http://www.medalofhonor.com/CoastGuardAcademys1stAfricanAmerican.htm

   

       

Categories:

• United States Coast Guard Academy
• African-American military personnel

 

       

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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Manson Brown Retirement Marks End Of An Era For Coast Guard

Vice Admiral Manson K. Brown retires from the U.S. Coast Guard as the service’s top-ranking  Black officer

Patrick Kelley/U.S. Coast Guard - Vice Adm. Manson Brown receives a framed collection of mementos during his retirement ceremony Wednesday at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington.

• 
  

By T. Rees Shapiro, Published: May 14, 2014

With three words, Vice Adm. Manson K. Brown brought to a close his 36-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard and his pioneering role as the highest-ranking black officer in the history of the sea service.
“I stand relieved,” Brown said Wednesday, May 14, at a change of command ceremony at Coast Guard headquarters in Southeast Washington. Brown, who grew up in the District’s Petworth neighborhood, joined the Coast Guard in 1978 and rose to become a three-star admiral.

Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., the Coast Guard Commandant, said that Brown had stood on the shoulders of Black officers before him and that those who follow owe Brown a debt for his service. Brown played a crucial role in developing the careers of minorities in the Coast Guard, Papp added.
“While we still have a long way to go, I credit Manson Brown for speaking truth to power,” Papp said.
Serving aboard the USCGC Glacier (WAGB-4), an icebreaker, during his first assignment as a young officer, Brown said he had to confront racism almost immediately. He noticed that one older white subordinate, a popular chief petty officer, seemed agitated by his presence. Brown decided to settle the matter face to face.
“He said there was no way he was going to work for a Black man,” Brown said. “My head pounded with anger and frustration.”
But other enlisted leaders on the ship rallied behind Brown. Throughout the rest of his career, Brown was recognized for his inspirational leadership and zeal.
He assumed positions of responsibility in Florida, Hawaii and California, where he oversaw counter-narcotics trafficking missions and other operations spanning 73 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. He served as the military assistant to two U.S. secretaries of transportation and spent three months in Iraq in 2004, leading the restoration of two major ports.
In recent years, Brown led a Coast Guard effort to improve sexual assault prevention and outreach. A civil engineer by training, he also oversaw recovery operations after Hurricane Sandy wrought $270 million in damage to Coast Guard property, Papp said.
Brown retired as Deputy Commandant for Mission Support and Commander of Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. Dignitaries at the ceremony, including Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.); former U.S. Transportation Secretaries Rodney E. Slater and Norman Y. Mineta; and Merle Smith, the first Black U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate (Class of 1966), attended the ceremony at the new Coast Guard headquarters in Anacostia.
Brown said his achievements would not have been possible without the legacy forged by the first Black officers in the early years of the Coast Guard.
At first, Brown’s mother was reluctant to let him join the military as war raged in Vietnam, he said at the ceremony. But then London Steverson, the second Black graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Class of 1968), visited the Brown family home in Ward 4.
“I convinced his mother that her son would not be taken advantage of and would not be a token” black student at the academy, Steverson said. “He was the best of the best. I knew that he could survive.”
After graduating from St. John’s College High School in the District, Brown enrolled in the Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 1978, headed to a life patrolling the seas even though he didn’t know how to swim. As a cadet, one of his first assignments was to learn basic strokes.
He later helped create a campus network for minority students at the school. In 1977, he became the first African American to lead the U.S. Coast Guard Academy corps of cadets, the Coast Guard’s student body.
“The vast majority of my career, people embraced me for my passion and ability,” Brown said. When incidents of racism arose, “I decided to confront it at its face.”
Papp, the Commandant, described Brown as a friend and mentor. Earlier in their careers, the two officers commuted together to their office in Washington. During one conversation on the way to work, they talked about officer promotions and assignments. Papp said he was surprised when Brown pointed out that bias kept some Black officers from advancement.
“All of us human beings, whether we admit it or not, have our own biases,” Papp said. “He opened my eyes to those biases and made me look harder to make sure that we are a balanced and diverse service.”

Affirmative Action Is Good

I was an Affirmative Action Baby. I was the beneficiary of a program designed to redress the effects of past discrimination. So were Jackie Robinson, Wilt Chamberlain, Constance Baker Motley, Spottswood Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, Eric Holder, and President Barack Obama; and so are many Americans of African descent who were pioneers in their fields. Many of Americas "Black Firsts" were allowed to become "Firsts" because of Affirmative Action. By any other name, it would be the same. Some may call it a blessing from God; others may refer to it as a lucky break. Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet. Chance favors the prepared mind. However, ability without opportunity is wasted. It is futile and unproductive to have a talent and never get the opportunity to use it for the benefit of humanity. When many others are as qualified for a coveted position and a Black or other minority group person is chosen for the position, there is a strong possibility that Affirmative Action played a part in the selection. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Some may take umbrage or offense at my use of the term because it has become so politically charged and may not be politically correct; however, Affirmative Action works.
What is Affirmative Action? It is not a program of racial preference. It is a program designed to provide social justice for minority group members and the underprivileged of America. As a Federal Policy, Affirmative Action was born on March 6, 1961 when President Kennedy promulgated Executive Order 10925 requiring racial fairness in employment funded by the Federal Government. The Executive Order prohibited discrimination in federal employment based on race, creed, color, or national origin because it is contrary to the Constitutional principles and policies of the United States.
Affirmative action refers to concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate discrimination-whether in employment, education, or contracting-but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination. The underlying motive for affirmative action is the Constitutional principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons have the right to equal access to self-development. In other words, persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities. It is the process of a business or governmental agency which gives special rights of hiring or advancement to ethnic minorities to make up for past discrimination against that minority.
Affirmative Action has been the subject of debate, with opponents claiming that it produces reverse discrimination against Caucasians. Affirmative action programs are governed by a number of overlapping laws. A common principle is that whether for admissions or employment, affirmative action programs such as targeted recruitment and goals are encouraged to remedy past effects of discrimination; quotas are disfavored.

President Kennedy's New Frontier was to push the envelop in areas of our national life that had not been reached during the terms of President Harry S. Truman or President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A Presidential Executive Order 9981 issued by President Truman had desegregated the armed forces on July 26, 1948, but the nation's military service academies were lagging far behind in officer recruiting. President Kennedy challenged the U. S. Coast Guard Academy to tender appointments to Black high school students.
The words "Black cadet" or "African American cadet" had not yet entered the Coast Guard's lexicon until President John F. Kennedy issued the directive to find and recruit Black high school students. London Steverson and Kenneth Boyd were the first Black students to be offered an appointment in response to the increased emphasis on minority cadet recruiting. They were sworn in on June 10, 1964 in front of Hamilton Hall at the Coast Guard Academy. They were the only Black cadets in the Academy Class of 1968.
The Academy would later learn that there was another African American cadet at the Academy. He had not been recruited as a "Black cadet"; nor, was he recognized as one by the Coast Guard Academy Admission's Office. He was Merle James Smith in the Class of 1966. He was not recognized as an African American because he did not physically resemble one. None of his school records labeled him as Black, and he had not been recruited as a minority candidate. His appointment had been tendered before President Kennedy issued the directive to find and appoint Black candidates for the Coast Guard Academy. His father, Colonel Merle Smith , Senior, was the Professor of Military Science at Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland; and, he had formerly been an Army Staff officer at the Pentagon.
The only two Black cadets to have been recruited under the Kennedy Directive were London Steverson and Kenneth Boyd.
The exclusion of African Americans from the Coast Guard Academy is a tragic fact of American history. From 1876 until 1962 the Academy had not admitted any African-American cadets. One was admitted in 1962 and graduated in 1966. He was Merle J. Smith, Junior. Two entered in 1964 and graduated in 1968 They were London Steverson and Kenneth Boyd.

Attrition rates for entering cadets were high, and the Class of 1968 was no exception. Of the 400 cadets entering in July 1964 as the Class of 1968, only 152 graduated. Both Steverson and Boyd, the two Black Kennedy cadets in that class, completed the four years of indoctrination and graduated.
Because the orders to recruit the first Black cadets came down the Chain-Of-Command from President John F. Kennedy, the Commander-in-Chief, the first Black cadets were treated like sacred cows. There was zero attrition of Black cadets between 1962 and 1972. Every Black cadet who entered graduated. There was one Black cadet in the Class of 1970. He was Willie Pickrum, from Maryland. He went on to distinguish himself as a Coast Guard aviator.
Affirmative action policies vary. The following is an example of a university's Affirmative Action policy: "... is committed to ensuring that all educational programs and personnel actions including application, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, transfer, layoffs, training, tuition assistance, and social and recreational programs are administered without regard to race, color, sex (except where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification), sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin, age (except where age is a bona fide occupational qualification), disability, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era. The University's policy is applicable to faculty and other employees, applicants for faculty positions and other employment, and applicants to educational programs and activities. This policy is fundamental to the effective functioning of the University as an institution of teaching, scholarship, and public service.
Simple absence of discrimination is not sufficient. Our task is to work to eliminate all patterns of unequal treatment. The University's policies are dedicated to the full realization of equal opportunity for all through affirmative action predicated on the following tenets: (1) serious and imaginative recruitment methods; (2) ongoing administrative reviews of hiring practices; (3) frequent affirmative action analyses of faculty, staff, and student units to determine "challenge areas"; (4) direct and firm responses to units identified as having undesirable affirmative action practices; and (5) professional development training."

In 1997, however, California's Proposition 209 banned affirmative action in that state. In 2003 a group of affirmative action opponents began a campaign to challenge its use in Michigan. Ward Connerly, a California businessman and national leader in the campaign to end affirmative action, pushed for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which would bar the use of race and gender in government hiring, contracting, and university admissions. The legal battles over affirmative action and how it may and may not be used continue. On a state-by-state basis, challenges to affirmative action programs are being made.
Affirmative Action has its roots in the civil rights movement. In March of 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925, which established the President's Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity. The order stated that contractors doing business with the government "will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during their employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin."
The order did not advocate preferential treatment of affected groups but rather sought to eliminate discrimination in the traditional sense.
The Civil Rights Act did not provide criminal penalties for employers that discriminated, nor did the civil remedies established by the act include compensation for pain and suffering or punitive damages. Rather, the Act sought to establish a conciliation process by which victims would be restored to the situation they would have had in the absence of discrimination.

To carry out the conciliation process, the Act created a new federal agency as a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC acts as a facilitator between plaintiffs and private employers and also pressures violating employers to provide compensation, whether in the form of back pay or restitution. The EEOC also provides legal support for plaintiffs should the plaintiffs pursue their grievances in court.

A significant Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action came in a 1978 case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Under the University of California at Davis's admission policies, 16 of 100 places were set aside for minority applicants. Allan Bakke was a white applicant who was denied enrollment to Davis's medical school, even though his test scores were higher than the minority students who were admitted. Casting the deciding vote, Justice Lewis Powell held that Bakke should be admitted to the program since Davis's policies constituted a rigid quota, but that, nonetheless, Davis could continue to favor minorities in its admission practices and that it had a "compelling state interest" to attain a diversified educational environment.

The tide favoring affirmative action began to turn in the 1980s during the Reagan and Bush administrations. In his 1980 campaign, Reagan stated, "We must not allow the noble concept of equal opportunity to be distorted into federal guidelines or quotas which require race, ethnicity, or sex-rather than ability and qualifications-to be the principal factor in hiring or education." Through court appointments, hiring and firing decisions, and budget cuts, the Reagan administration sought to end Affirmative Action as it had evolved since the Johnson administration. Between 1981 and 1983, the budget of the EEOC was cut by 10 percent and the staff by 12 percent.

First World Champion Heavyweight Fighter From America Since 1986

Brandon Ivey is the first Heavyweight Black Belt Taekwondo Champion from America since 1986. He is a junior at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Virginia.
Champions are made, not born. It takes a family to produce a potential champion; and an old Chinese Proverb says that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When Brandon was ready, his master teacher appeared. That teacher is Master Dennis Kim from the USTigers World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) School of Taekwondo, Haymarket, VA.

On March 23 Brandon Ivey represented the USA in the World WTF Taekwondo Championship Tournament in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. He defeated FIVE heavy weight black belt fighters from various countries around the World. It was a single elimination tournament and Brandon went undefeated. All of his fights were razor-edge close. The final match was a sudden death overtime match against Hamza Kattan of Jordan. Brandon won the match 5-4. His opponents were champions from the republic of the Philippines, Azerbaijzan, Spain, Russia, and Jordan.
Read the full story at  http://voices.yahoo.com/dare-great-brandon-ivey-story-12637523.html?cat=37

Finalists Announced for the Chris Canning Award of Excellence

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June 04, 2014, 1:39 p.m. (ET)

Finalists Announced for the 2014

"Chris Canning Award of Excellence"

                                         

From an outstanding number of nominations, four finalists have been selected for the 10^th Annual Chris Canning Award of Excellence. The winner will be announced and presented the award during a ceremony at the National Championships on Saturday, July 5, 2014 in San Jose, California.  The four finalists, in alphabetical order, for this year's award are: Zachery Budde, Logan Gerick, Brandon Ivey, and Connor Wilson.

The Chris Canning Award of Excellence was adopted in honor and tribute to Christopher James Canning, an accomplished martial artist and world class human being. Chris was an honor student, a star athlete for his school in football, basketball, and baseball, a classical pianist, worked at an animal shelter, and helped the homeless and needy. In just 4 years as a martial artist, he earned his first degree black belt in Taekwondo, was a member of 11 state teams, won over 30 medals at the national and state level including 15 state and 3 national titles, was an AAU All American, member of the US Elite team training at the Olympic Training Center, invited to the US Gold Team training and was 5 times athlete of the week and Illinois' USNTF athlete and student of the year.

Chris has been awarded the Legacy of Service honor at the Youth Assembly at the United Nations, honored by the President of the United States with the Gold Student Service Award Medal, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin made a speech in tribute to what he accomplished and represented on the Senate floor in Washington, and the Points of Light Foundation honored him with the President's Award for his community service. In addition, he has been inducted into the U. S. and World Martial Arts Halls of Fame and 12 other International Halls of Fame, has 8 regional, national and  international awards given out, in his name, with recipients coming from the US, Canada, Germany, China, Costa Rica, and England. He has also received 18 special recognition awards from martial arts legends and organizations worldwide. The Chris Canning Award of Excellence, given by the USAT and the Chris Canning Foundation, is the most prestigious award given in his name. At the 2008 Senior National Championships, a certificate of honor was given by the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Olympic Committee to the family for Chris living his life as a representative of the Olympic Ideals and for his personal, academic, artistic, and athletic excellence. In 2013, the USAT Board of Directors approved a Special Recognition Award to be given to the Foundation and Chris' awards program.

The Chris Canning Award of Excellence is presented to the one martial artists who most exhibits what Chris represented and achieved. He or she has excelled academically, gained national and international acclaim as a martial arts competitor, given back to the community they live in and demonstrated the same personal attributes as the awards namesake. This year's award will be presented by Master John Holloway, USAT Board of Directors, and Miss Haley Kong, 2011 winner of the Award, with the finalist receiving their award plaques from Jason Poos, National Coach.  Other Previous winners of the Award of  Excellence include: Cheyenne Lewis (2013), Adrienne Ivey (2012), Haley Kong (2011), Olie Burton (2010), Matt Dunlap (2009), Paige McPherson (2008),  Jermaine James (2007),  Maia Eubanks (2006), and Aimee Callison (2005).
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Taekwondo/Features/2014/June/04/Finalists-Announced-for-the-Chris-Canning-Award-of-Excellence