Making It a Point, at West Point
How many historic servicewomen did you hear about this Memorial Day weekend? For me, it was slim to none.
BRICC's founder, Lauren Whitney, couldn't even recall a time she was exposed to black and brown servicewomen having participated in her high school's Naval ROTC program.
The history of black women serving the country begins with Cathay Williams. She was the first black women to enlist in 1866 in St. Louis posing as a man. It would be over 50 years before a black woman would enlist to serve as a woman.
Her Story
1st documented black woman soldier, Cathay Williams. She enlisted as a man under the guise William Cathay.
Black women are blazing the trail at colleges and universities across the country, including some historic academies founded in the early 1800s. The United States Military Academy at West Point was founded in 1802 and is regarded by many as one of the top 5 most prestigious military schools in the world. Moreover, in the past two years, black women have accomplished significant milestones that have been long overdue.
My hope when young Black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with.
Tiffany Welch- Baker, West Point Cadet
In 2017, Simone Askew became the first African-American woman ranked First Captain in the storied history of the school. Featured Time magazine & other national headlines, Simone is making impacts to young women, especially of color, hoping to pursue their dreams of a military career -- even if they don't have the comfort of seeing faces like their own throughout their journey like in Askew's case. However, just last year, West Point appointed its first Black superintendent, Gen. Darryl A. Williams, hopefully signaling a turn for more comprehensive and colorful history books at the institution.
The leaders at The BRICC Foundry are optimistic for the future of minority women at West Point. Making history yet again, the 2019 class graduated 32 Black women, West Point's largest cohort of Black women to date. Thirty-two young black women walked across the stage among thousands of graduates earlier this month from a school with only a 10% acceptance rate. Cadet Tiffany Welch- Baker told organization, Because of Them We Can, "My hope when young Black girls see these photos is that they understand that regardless of what life presents you, you have the ability and fortitude to be a force to be reckoned with."
For years, the light of recognition for military honors has not shined on women of color that give their all to their country. With role models like Askew and these West Point cadets making it a point to give young black girls someone to look up to, we anticipate that we will be hearing lots more about black military excellence for years to come.
Hard to believe that a century and a half later in 2019, Black women are still making military firsts. And, The BRICC Foundry is here to help the cause. Need a mentor? Have a story to tell? Email us at StartWithUs@briccfoundry.org and let us know how we can support you!
The BRICC Foundry
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The vision of BRICC Foundry is to cultivate minority women through the pursuit of knowledge, mentorship & professional development to inspire women to pursue their career & life goals in spite of obstacles in their present state. Registered 501c(3), tax-exempt organization.