The Remarkable "Critical Race Theory" Response of General Milley
... and the underwhelming, yet very tragic and telling answer of Defense Secretary Austin before that
Publisher’s Riff
There’s quite a bit of sudden and energetic conversation around an exchange on Wednesday between top U.S. military brass and the ever buffoonish and demagogic Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2022 budget for the Department of Defense. Gaetz, always in search of a headline to distract from his own personal legal troubles, figured it was appropriate and relevant to insert a question about, you guessed it: “Critical Race Theory.” Was CRT something being taught in the U.S. military? Not that it mattered in that moment. But this is Matt Gaetz being Matt Gaetz.
In just two minutes time, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley gave what is one of the most thoughtful, eloquent and tear-jerking responses on not just the question of Critical Race Theory, but on the issue of how we, as a nation, manage our discourse and learning on American history. One could write an entire thesis from the statement; or, we can just all eagerly await Milley’s retirement so he can lecture extensively about it. "So, what is wrong with understanding, having some situational understanding, about the country for which we are here to defend?" demanded Milley, to the look of bewildered and upset Gaetz who had no response other than a head shake.
It is an essential watch [see above] that should be presented in every classroom. And it more than likely offered a tremendous degree of credibility and needed alliance for Critical Race Theory proponents to have a “Baby Boomer” age White man who is the highest ranking officer in the U.S. military - trained in the U.S. Army - eagerly providing a solid and blistering rebuttal to anti-Black Trumpites. That was definitely unexpected and it will be very useful, perhaps in ways General Milley did not intend. Nevertheless, it was quite refreshing.
But, what’s equally fascinating and a worthwhile watch is the first response to Gaetz from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. That puts Milley’s response in further context and offers insights into other problematic issues. The contrast between both responses, Austin and Milley, is striking - not only for the obvious racial distinction between the two, but what it tells us about Black organizational and corporate navigation and inter-personal skills in an environment dominated by White people, particularly White males.
Austin, clearly rattled and perturbed by Gaetz’s line of questioning, is terse and emphatic after, correctly, responding that he’s not sure “what this has to do with this issue [of the FY 2022 Defense budget].” Instead of just leaving it at that, Austin adds: “We do not embrace Critical Race Theory.” That part seems rather abrupt and visceral (like: “Don’t ask me that”). He says this as if he, himself, as a Black man (and the first Black Secretary of Defense who, undoubtedly, had to face vicious levels of racism to reach that point) is adamantly opposed to the notion of Critical Race Theory or the basic study of understanding racism in the United States. It was as if, in that moment, he needed to overcompensate or prove to anyone listening that he might be Black … but, he’s not that Black as to compromise the delicate balance he’s managed to orchestrate up to this point.
Instead, Milley jumps in - quite enthusiastically - with a response that would have been even more epic had it been delivered by Austin. Perhaps Milley understood this on some level and was, simply, lending a hand to Austin. Still: Austin is the Black man under a constant level of scrutiny and critique while Milley is the White man who is not. The contrast between Austin’s visible discomfort and Milley’s visible comfort is really astounding.
Even at that high level, we continue to witness Black people in high places and C-Suites - especially Black men - being forced to perform any number of verbal and social gymnastics to avoid the anger or hostility of their White colleagues. In this instance, Austin may not truly believe his own statement. Yet, he still feels compelled to dance in an effort to offset any concerns. We’re speculating - but, our experience gives us confidence it’s highly likely this was the case.
This opens a larger conversation on the Black operational psyche in complex White-controlled organizational and policymaking environments. We can never be as honest or candid as we would like or as circumstances call for, simply because we are Black in that space or room and our presence is still not completely valued or viewed as equal. We are forced to accept the existence of perpetual servitude and submission, albeit subtle. As Laura Morgan Roberts and Anthony J. Mayo point out in the Harvard Business Review …
[B]lack leaders in particular struggle with feeling inauthentic at work. Research by McGill University’s Patricia Faison Hewlin shows that many minorities feel pressured to create “facades of conformity,” suppressing their personal values, views, and attributes to fit in with organizational ones. But as Hewlin and her colleague Anna-Maria Broomes found in a survey of 2,226 workers in various industries and corporate settings, African Americans create these facades more frequently than other minority groups do and feel the inauthenticity more deeply. They might chemically relax (straighten) their hair, conform with coworkers’ behavior, “whitewash” their resumes by deleting ethnic-sounding names or companies, hide minority beliefs, and suppress emotions related to workplace racism.
As a result of all the above, black workers feel less supported, engaged, and committed to their jobs than their nonblack peers do, as research from Georgetown University’s Ella Washington, Gallup’s Ellyn Maese and Shane McFeely, and others has documented.
It’s unfortunate that it must be researched and evaluated for empirical evidence because we all either witness it or perpetuate some form of it routinely. Organizations continue to disingenuously claim they’ve taken steps to alleviate this problem when we know they haven’t. Even the Secretary of Defense has to tip toe around it. Even in this extended moment of social justice demand, nothing has changed. Something must, one day, give.