The Department of Defense (DoD) is currently soliciting nominations for the nine different awards for its annual Outreach Awards.  Each of the nine awards has its own eligibility requirements for its nominees.  However, there is a constant theme for the nominees:  must be non-white.  In all fairness, the criteria does not specifically mention that the nominees must be non-white; however, the name of the awards is a clear indication of who they want to receive the accompanying recognition.

 

Here are the nine DoD Outreach Awards

• Federal Asian Pacific American Council Military Meritorious Service Award
• The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award
• Society of American Indian Government Employees Meritorious Service Award
• The National “Image, Incorporated” Meritorious Service Award
• The League of United Latin American Citizens Excellence in Military Service Award
• The National Organization for Mexican American Rights Meritorious Service Award
• Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award
• National LATINA Symposium Distinguished Service Award
• Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Corporation Cadet Role Model Award

Should the DoD allow private organizations that has political agendas to give US service members awards?  How about the NAACP?  The NAACP itself fits Army Command Policy’s definition of an extremist organization. According to Army Command Policy, an extremist organization will “Advocate racial, gender, or ethnic hatred or intolerance; advocate, create, or engage in illegal discrimination based on race, color, gender, religion, or national origin ….” The NAACP currently advocates racial hatred and intolerance. For example, the NAACP routinely victimizes African Americans and blames most, if not all of society’s ills on White Americans. In addition, the NAACP holds “Buy Black” campaigns to compel African Americans to discriminate against white-owned businesses. A similar organization to the NAACP is the Ku Klux Klan. It is likely that the DoD will not allow the Ku Klux Klan to give US service members awards because of their extremist views; therefore, why does it allow the NAACP to give US service members awards?

 

If a particular award focuses on just one race or on the exclusion of a particular race, then that action certainly appears discriminatory. Of course, the organizations do not mention that a particular race or ethnic group must win, yet the name of the awards and the organizations that offer them provide a strong clue as to who they prefer to receive the award.

 

Allowing these private organizations to have awards for US service members should not be allowed. After all, the Army’s Equal Opportunity Program is designed to seek out and eliminate discriminatory practices and to insure fair treatment for all.  But is it stopping these awards?  No, they are the point of contact for the awards.

 

Where are the 2009 awards for White Americans service members?  Why are they excluded? Are they not worthy of their own awards? What about an award for the most outstanding service members /DoD civilian who does not come from an organization that has a clear or extreme political agenda? After all, racism isn’t ended by exclusion; it’s ended by inclusion.  Excluding some races from consideration in these award programs surely gives one the impression that the DoD favors some races over others. This act itself is defined in Army Command Policy as institutional racism. Therefore, these award programs are illegal and should be not allowed to continue.