Black Women Cadets at West Point Raise Fists in Group Photo, "Controversy" Ensues

Black Women Cadets at West Point Raise Fists in Group Photo, "Controversy" Ensues

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An image of 16 Black women cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point raising their fists prompted outrage from likely racists who believe the women to be violating the Military's code of conduct. The women are all members of West Point's class of 2016.

The image has been shared along with the accusation that the women are tacitly supporting Black Lives Matter, though the raised fist has been a symbol of resistance no tied to any particular movement for decades.




West Point officials are investigating the image according to Army Times. “Academy officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter,"  said West Point’s director of public affairs Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker.

These comments on the Stolen Valor Facebook page exemplify some of the hate these women get.



The Department of Defense has a policy prohibiting servicemen from engaging in political activities in uniform.

-A member of the Armed forces shall not:
-4.1.2.12. Display a partisan political sign, poster, banner, or similar device visible to the public at one’s residence on a military installation, even if that residence is part of a privatized housing development.

The photo was one in a series of 20 says Brenda Sue Fulton, a graduate of West Point, and the chairman of the Academy's Board of Visitors. She shared one of the photos on her Twitter page and defended the young women.




Fulton says the women posed for variations of an Old Corps photo. “Different teams and groups get together on their own to mimic the high-collar, ultra-serious, photos of 19th century cadets,” she explained to Army Times.

“When I spent time with these cadets and heard them tell their stories and laugh and joke with each other," She said. "There’s no doubt in my mind how much they love West Point, they love the Army and they support each other.”

West Point first admitted women in 1976, and Pat Locke, the first Black woman graduate in 1980, became a noted engineer.

West Point has not issued a statement on the photo.