On Thursday, July 2, 2020, the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations. Maritime Administrator RADM (Ret) Mark H. Buzby, USN and National Naval Officer Association National President RADM (Ret) Sinclair Harris, USN signed this historic MOU in a ceremony in front of the Department of Transportation Headquarters Building in Washington, DC. This MOU, which is the first of its kind between MARAD and NNOA, establishes a framework for a cooperative relationship between NNOA and MARAD to support the achievement of mutual goals. These goals include:
Providing personal and professional development, mentorship, training opportunities, and career enhancing programs for maritime academy cadets and midshipmen and other maritime personnel
Advancing and supporting the diversity initiatives at the Maritime Administration, United States Merchant Marine Academy (“USMMA”), State Maritime Academies (“SMA”) and throughout the Maritime Industry
Working cooperatively and collaboratively to foster continued interest throughout America’s maritime industries as viable career paths for future generations
Establishing and maintaining a positive image of the U.S. Merchant Marine and domestic maritime industries; and
Enhancing awareness of the Maritime Administration, USMMA and the SMAs as prospective educational pathways for diverse segments of the Nation’s population
Dignitaries at Thursday’s ceremony included the following:
RADM (Ret) Mark H. Buzby, USN – Administrator, Maritime Administration
RADM (Ret) Sinclair Harris, USN – President, National Naval Officers Association
Mr. Kevin Tokarski, Senior Executive Service, Associate Administrator for Strategic Sealift, Maritime Administration
CAPT (Ret) Thomas Abernethy, USN – President, Washington DC, Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association
Dr. Shashi Kumar, Senior Executive Service, National Coordinator Maritime Education and Training, Maritime Administration
CAPT (Ret) Jerome D. Davis, SC, USN – Secretary, Washington, DC Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association
CAPT (Ret) Mark OMalley, USCG, Chief, Division of Operations Support, Maritime Administration
Special mention must also be made for Mr. Kevin Tokarski (MARAD), Mr. Daryl Hart, Director, Office of Civil Rights (MARAD) and CDR Michael Files, USN (NNOA) for the heavy lifting work they did in helping to make this historic MOU happen – Bravo Zulu!
I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, 100 years from the beginning of the American Civil War and five generations removed from slavery.
Our Heritage: Slavery and More
For the United States, slavery remains an albatross: from 1619, when 20 African slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, through the profound words of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, that “All men are created equal”; and on to the war that began April 12, 1861.The nation slaughtered itself over the question of slavery: 620,000 dead; our worst-ever toll of casualties. On the other hand, many slaves were freed for the first time in American history, although their unfulfilled promise of 40 acres of land and a mule made it pseudo-freedom at best.
The continuing focus on diversity and inclusion has become more of a “race issue” and a “gender issue” than an “ethnicity issue.” The Hispanic American population has grown to be the largest minority group in this country, and yet, comparatively speaking, our armed forces still do not reflect “the face of the nation” with regard to the Hispanic American population. This is particularly true in the flag and general officer, senior officer and senior enlisted ranks. This is not diversity and inclusion.
As you will remember, 45 years ago the emphasis to increase the number of African Americans in key colleges, universities and other educational and business institutions was through affirmative action and quota control. This program, which was deemed as successful, had its flaws. It had very little, if any, regard for any ethnic community, and there was little concern for meritocracy.
In 23 years of naval service, I have learned that candid and open discussions that welcome dissenting or different opinions can be an effective catalyst for change; it is no different for racial injustice. If the Navy truly believes that inclusion and diversity are critical to warfighting readiness, now is the time for real progress, building on the foundation laid by Admiral Elmo Russell “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., 19th Chief of Naval Operations.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Wednesday the agency’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first Black female engineer at NASA.
Mary started her career in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. A mathematician and aerospace engineer, she went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.
