West Point Cadets' Raised-Fists Photo Sparks Investigation [View all]
A photo showing 16 African-American female cadets raising clenched fists has sparked controversy at West Point’s elite military academy.
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The raised fist, which has long been a symbol of unity for African Americans, is also associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Defending the young cadets is Brenda Sue Fulton, a 1980 West Point graduate, former Army captain, and chairwoman of the U.S. Military Academy’s Board of Visitors.
“When I spent time with these cadets and heard them tell their stories and laugh and joke with each other, there’s no doubt in my mind how much they love West Point, they love the Army and they support each other,” Fulton told the Army Times.
She tweeted out a different photo of the women without raised fists with the caption, “THIS. Fearless, flawless, fierce. Ready.” That tweet was then retweeted by Patrick Murphy, acting secretary of the U.S. Army.
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“I would not have re-tweeted the raised-fist photo because I am well aware that our culture views a black fist very differently from a white fist,” she said. “I knew it was their expression of pride and unity, but I am old enough to know that it would be interpreted negatively by many white observers. Unfortunately, in their youth and exuberance, it appears they didn’t stop to think that it might have any political context, or any meaning other than their own feeling of triumph.”
Read More: http://abcnews.go.com/US/west-point-cadets-raised-fists-photo-sparks-investigation/story?id=38979948
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