Air Force Lt. General Had The Perfect Response To Racist Messages Left For Black Cadets (Video)
Someone left racist messages on the rooms of black cadets, Lt. General Jay B. Silveria had something to say about it.
Lieutenant General Jay Silveria addressed cadets Thursday at the United States Air Force Academy and delivered an emotional and powerful message, “There is absolutely no place in our Air Force for racism.”
Silveria was responding to a series of racist messages that were left for black cadets in the Academy.
“I‘ve said it before: the area of dignity and respect is my red line. Let me be clear, it won’t be crossed without significant repercussions.”
“If you’re outraged by those words, then you’re in the right place,” Silveria continued. “That kind of behavior has no place at the prep school, it has no place at USAFA and it has no place in the United States Air Force.”
“You should be outraged not only as an airman, but as a human being,” he added.
Silveria even made reference to the NFL kneeling story.
“We would be naive to think we shouldn’t discuss this topic,” he said. “We’d also be tone deaf not to think about the backdrop of what’s going on in our country. Things like Charlottesville and Ferguson, the protests in the NFL.”
“What we should have is a civil discourse, and talk about these issues,” Silveria said. “That’s a better idea.”
“I also have a better idea, and it’s about our diversity,” he continued. “And it’s the power of the diversity … the power of us as a diverse group. The power that we come from all walks of life, that we come from all parts of this county, that we come from all races, all backgrounds, gender, all makeup, all upbringings. The power of that diversity comes together and makes us that much more powerful.”
“We have an opportunity here to think about what we are as an institution,” Silveria continued. “This is our institution and no one can take away our values. No one can write on a board and question our values. No one can take that away from us.”
“So just in case you’re unclear on where I stand on this topic, I’m going to leave you with my most important thought today,” Silveria said. “If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then you need to get out. If you can’t treat someone from another gender, whether that’s a man or a woman, with dignity and respect, then you need to get out. If you demean someone in any way, then you need to get out. And if you can’t treat someone from another race, or a different color of skin, with dignity and respect, than you need to get out.”
“If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then get out.”
[image via YouTube screenshot]
