ARLINGTON, Va. - Diversity has always been a hallmark of life in the National Guard.
Whether recruits hail from different regions of their respective state, different cultures, or even another country, Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen come together from many different backgrounds to accomplish the mission of defending freedom.
Guardmembers were reminded of this recently during a celebration of Black History Month held here at the Crowne Plaza.
Personnel from the National Guard Bureau Equal Opportunity Office reminded Guard members where African Americans have been, how far they have come, and where they are going.
"It is important to recognize and to appreciate … to see the mistakes we have made in the past," said Mr. Felton Page, the director of equal opportunity and civil rights for NGB. "Because you know that old saying, those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."
Page talked about segregation, when there seperate drinking fountains and movie theaters for whites and blacks.
"A lot of folks have heard about that," said Page. "We lived (it)."
Today, though many things have changed. The civil rights era has produced an African-American president, and the U.S. military is a model for diversity around the world.
"We deploy the most diverse military force on the face of the earth," said Page. "When we look at our structure, when we look at our leadership, we represent America."
Nonetheless, he said, these successes are only the tip of the iceberg.
To ensure segregation never happens again, Page has a "relay race" philosophy for the National Guard Equal Opportunity program.
"In a relay race, you're given a baton," Page said. "Then you get to a point in that race where your time comes … when you have to pass that baton."
When that happens, he said, the next runner goes further.
Page highlighted this philosophy by spotlighting two graduates of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program. The program targets at-risk youths ages 16 to 19 who have not completed high school and offers them an opportunity to obtain their high school diploma or General Equivalency degree.
About 75 percent of the participants obtain a diploma or degree.
"The National Guard Youth Challenge Program is one of the most successful programs to serve at-risk youth," said Ms. Phyllis Brantley, the chief of special emphasis programs and diversity management. "Over 85,000 cadets have graduated from 32 programs in the last 15 years."
Some graduates of the program were on hand to share their experiences with the program.
"I kept fighting every day, and my fighting was leading to expulsion," said Jocelyn Stevenson, 17, a graduate of the program. "That's when it hit me that I needed to do something."
Stevenson said the program gave her the strength and discipline to turn her life around.
"When I walked across the stage I was so proud of myself. I didn't think I could ever get through it," she said. "I was like 'I made the right step.'"
Stevenson's steps will take her to a life and a career. She will make her way in the world better prepared, having been given the baton, and better prepared to hand it off when her race has been run.