At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: USS Carl Vinson Celebrates Black History Month

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- The crew of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 celebrated Black History Month Feb. 12.

The American Heritage Observance Committees from Carl Vinson and CSG-1 presented the theme of this year's celebration, "At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington," to the embarked crew.

The celebration began with a cake-cutting on the aft mess decks in the afternoon. In the evening, supply department offered a special dinner celebrating African-American/Black culture and the committees gave a presentation on the fo'c'sle.

"From the traffic light, the first blood bank, the incandescent light bulb, the potato chip and the gas mask; the impact of the contributions of African Americans in all facets of American society is tremendous. Though we highlight these contributions during Black History Month, the role of African-Americans in history is researched and remembered year-round," said Interior Communications Technician 1st Class (SW/AW) Thomas J. Ingram, an American Heritage Observance Committee (AHOC) member, who provided opening remarks.

Deck department's 1st Division Officer Lt. j.g. Jade Calhoun, Operations Specialist 3rd Class Sharlyn Bayonne, and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman (AW) Paitra Johnson sang the national anthem. Sixteen AHOC members then paid tribute to key events in history and the achievements of specific African-Americans whose service in the U.S. Armed Forces and in the community between the time of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom helped pave the way to freedom.

"In January, 1944, The Golden Thirteen began their 2-month officer training course," said Operations Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Mone't Hazelton of CSG-1. "There were already one hundred thousand African-American enlisted men in the Navy. None, however, had been able to go through training to become officers. Responding to pressure from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Adlai Stevenson, the Navy began the training of 16 African-American enlisted men at Camp Robert Smalls, Recruit Training Command (RTC), Great Lakes. Twelve were commissioned as ensigns; one was appointed as a warrant officer."

Carl Vinson's Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class (AW) Ryan Bucchi spoke of Executive Order No. 9981, issued by then-President Harry S. Truman, which desegregated the military. "The order stated that 'It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.'"

After each of the 16 AHOC members presented their piece in American history, they picked up a photograph depicting their selected person or event and began to create a visual bridge starting with the Emancipation Proclamation, spanning the 100-year time period between it and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, ending with a description of the stated goals of the march.

Operations Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Aaron Paul then introduced the ceremony's keynote speaker, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Payne, Carl Vinson's damage control assistant.

"This is the month where we take time out to learn, not just about the people and their great contributions to our society, but also to better understand our own personal journeys as Americans," Payne said. "Black history is American history."

Payne went on to describe the circumstances and oppressions that led to both the conception of the Emancipation Proclamation and the movement that swelled into the March on Washington, underscoring the necessity to never lose sight of the lessons from the past.

"As we look back at these two events we must always keep in mind that our work is never complete," Payne said. "There is still work to be done. I do not speak only to race relations or equal opportunity, but also to our relation to the larger global society. At the core, we want to be good citizens of the world, but even greater stewards of the unwritten responsibility, to enable the next generation to have it better than the previous."

Following an a cappella rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" by Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 2nd Class (AW) Dwayne Foster, Carl Vinson's Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Jeffrey Pickering offered his closing remarks to end the celebration.

AHOC events aim to encourage Sailors to embrace their heritage and diversity in the Navy, said Chief Hospital Corpsman (SW/AW) Webster Nicholson, dental department's leading chief petty officer and an AHOC member. "The Navy and the ship do a great job of promoting diversity and it's very exciting that we can celebrate Black History Month on Carl Vinson underway."

"The event went really well. The entire AHOC diversity crew put together a fine program with zero discrepancies," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW/FMF) Xavier Johnson. "Everything was great from the speakers to the singers. I'm proud to have been a part of it."

For more news from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn70/.