Please take some time to discuss this information with your shipmates at your next meeting. Please keep in mind that utilizing these "Moments" fulfills one of the requirements in the NACO 3-Star Diversity application.***
"Diversity requires commitment. Achieving superior performance, diversity can produce further action– most notably, a commitment to develop a culture of inclusion. People do not just need to be different; they need to be fully involved and feel their voices are heard."
–Alain Dehaze
Before President Truman in 1948 signed Executive Order 9981 ("...there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin."), the United States Coast Guard had already taken steps to desegregate its ranks. By 1942, the Coast Guard adopted an official policy of allowing Black Americans to serve in all its rates, regardless of race. This was a significant move towards integration and diversity in the military, particularly during a time when racial segregation was still prevalent in many parts of American society.
As early as at the beginning of the Revenue Cutter Service, challenging barriers from wrongful discrimination, Black Americans served honorably and heroically alongside their White counterparts in war and peace. By the 1870s, Black Americans were first officially allowed to serve in the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Black personnel were assigned to the USCG-manned USS Sea Cloud in 1941, marking the first time such Americans served aboard a commissioned vessel in the regular Coast Guard. The following year, the Coast Guard adopted a policy of allowing African Americans to serve in all its rates.
The Coast Guard's decision to open all its rates to qualified individuals, regardless of race, was a decisively progressive step and served as a model for the larger required military desegregation efforts that were later implemented through Truman's order. The Coast Guard broke barriers that now allow all who wish to, to serve at all levels. The result? A stronger and more capable workforce.
As has been discussed before, American history has been one of an overall arc of progress. The Coast Guard, in all its iterations has been a step ahead of that curve. It has demonstrated that commitment by recognizing the superior performances of a diverse workforce. The Auxiliary is a proud part of that honorable tradition. Let's continue to strive in that direction.
Written by: Michael Brown, BC-DUP Outreach (Diversity & Inclusion Directorate)
Submitted by
COMO David G. Porter
Asst. National Commodore
National Diversity Team
US Coast Guard Auxiliary
