Some Virginia Military Institute alumni are dissatisfied with what they call a woke takeover of the military.
They believe there has been far too much of a swing toward the woke side of things in the military, and they would like to see some changes to how these policies are implemented.
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, 60, implemented new diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives when he took over at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in October 2020. Wins put in a 5-point program to achieve Inclusive Excellence, citing that the mission was to achieve and maintain a more diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, staff, and administration.
This is the oldest public senior military college in the US, and many alumni say they are displeased that woke policies have been allowed to take over at this college.
Then-Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat and VMI alumnus, ordered an investigation into the college over allegations of racism at the school. The school board also voted to remove a Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson statue from the college campus.
The investigation into the college found that the college had tolerated a racist and sexist culture for a long time and that it needed to change.
However, the Washington Post reports that VMI has launched many DEI initiatives since the probe ended, and many of those initiatives have brought woke politics to the forefront of the college.
The New York Post reports that a group of well-funded and mostly white conservatives has led an assault on the woke policies of VMI since they launched them.
Ex-Marine Matt Daniel formed a political action committee to take on this issue. The group is known as the Spirit of VMI, Its purpose is to try to fight some of the more progressive policies the college has put in place more recently.
One of the PACs websites said: Reject the woke assault on VMI. Close ranks.
The PAC has been very critical of Wins efforts to make DEI something that is pushed forward as part of the overall policies of the school. They frequently post cartoons on Facebook that mock Wins efforts. They dont hold back on this, and they are still doing everything they possibly can to make the points they wish to make about the DEI efforts of VMI.
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