The Navy is a work in progress. There are issues its members are hesitant to address, as well as issues they have yet to discuss. While Navy leaders have implemented an Inclusion and Diversity Council and Task Force One Navy, they have found that their ability to address challenges related to race was not as formidable as many had believed.1
A Conversation
The phone rang and rang, then Jack’s friendly “hello” emanated from the speaker. Jack and I are peers, fellow naval aviators. We had flown together, trained together, and struggled together. Yet, at the beginning of our conversation, uneasiness flooded the space. We were tiptoeing around the purpose of our conversation: race.
Neither of us was a master at how to have this discussion. There was no class. There were no checklists. There were no memorandums or documents for reference; it was an awkward and difficult conversation, but one we had to have.
Navy leaders must understand that minorities in our service have a harder time finding mentors and comradery than those in the majority. Many may disagree, but why, then, are people hesitant to talk about race? If this topic is a non-issue, why was it so difficult to call Jack and discuss the tough questions? Because it is an issue. It is just easier to look the other way.
Jack’s Experience
Jack and I are both aviators. Preparing for a mission, we both research weather, flight routes, and other mission-related topics. So, what makes Jack’s pre-flight briefing experience different? To the eye, nothing. But as he explained, “I show up to the brief 110 percent prepared. I leave no space for racism to enter the room.” Why would that consideration be at the forefront of anyone’s mind? Every aviator and sailor should strive for perfection; why would one’s skin color impact anything related to the brief?
Jack acknowledged that working at a place where no one looks like you required acclimation. He presented me with a hypothetical situation: If I were to attend a historically Black college or university (HBCU) straight from high school, having grown up white, in central Missouri, would I feel insecure, even if no acts of aggression were directed toward me? Honestly, I replied yes. He quickly related this to the military, noting that during command climate surveys, he responds to questions regarding racial inequities with “no” because he has not directly experienced them. However, he noted that he sometimes feels “undertones” of racial intolerance. Whether real or arising from his own implicit biases, he says they are there.
As the conversation began to flow, doors opened. We discussed recruitment techniques, targeting HBCUs for a more diverse talent pool, and issues related to minority retention. We talked about his service academy experience and that of other Black officers. As we tossed questions back and forth, we answered the best we knew how. We ended this portion of our conversation by discussing institutionalists and reformers. We concluded that while the former thrive from the longstanding conservative trend, the U.S. Navy often relies on the latter’s spirit.2
“A standard is a standard” was the first phrase Jack uttered when performance was introduced into the conversation. If you do not meet the standard, you should not be here. I imagine most readers are nodding their heads in agreement. This seems logical and appropriate for a profession with such high stakes. When it is time to step to the plane, get out of the chocks, and take off, someone competent and knowledgeable needs to be in charge. Flying requires competence.
But what if he said that when you are a minority, you must be twice as good to be considered average? This is when the conversation gets uncomfortable and disagreement festers. Returning to the hypothetical scenario Jack presented: If I were at a university in which all other students were of another race and had to take a two-hour-long oral examination (the brief), then was expected immediately to perform on both a physical and cognitive level (the flight)—all without acknowledging the elephant in the room—my performance might suffer.3 My confidence, attitude, and ability to “work” the subjective grading scale determined by the instructor pilot might begin to decay. This is a familiar situation navigated by most minorities, whether realized or not.
As our conversation wound down, the awkwardness dissipated. It felt natural, sincere. I asked Jack one last question: “Where do we go from here?” He said he does not want us not to see color. He wants us to see it and be okay with it.
One way to address inequality and perceptions of racial bias is to start with a simple but difficult idea: talk to one another about the issue.4 While “coffee conversations” alone are insufficient, they are a healthy step in the right direction. Communication is a vital leadership skill. Candid and open discussions that welcome different opinions can be an effective catalyst for change. Conversations can help us—all of us—be more aware and sensitive to our biases.
- ADM Michael Gilday, NAVADMIN 254/19,“Culture of Excellence.”
- ADM James Stavridis (USN Ret.), Sailing True North (New York: Penguin Press, 2019).
- Malcom Gladwell, Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, (New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2019)
- Emmanuel Acho, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (New York: Pan Macmillan, 2020).
