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Gov. Maura Healey signed a proclamation Monday recognizing Wednesday as the 75th anniversary of President Harry Truman's executive order for desegregating the military. [Alison Kuznitz/SHNS]
Calling on Massachusetts residents to commit to tackling racial and ethnic disparities, Gov. Maura Healey issued a proclamation recognizing this week's 75th anniversary of the presidential order to desegregate the military.
Healey signed the proclamation in her ceremonial office Monday afternoon, joined by elected officials from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, Veterans' Services Secretary Jon Santiago, members of the Massachusetts National Guard, Tuskegee Airman Brig. Gen. Enoch "Woody" Woodhouse and Patricia Odom, the first female Black recruiter in the state's National Guard.
"For far too long, people in this country were marginalized and held back; for far too long, people were actually doing work, though not recognized and celebrated ..." Healey said, as she invoked the "imperatives" of diversity and inclusion that she described as the foundation of her administration. "All of you men and women who have served who we honor today represent all of what's possible."
Woodhouse, who gave impromptu remarks, said he left public housing and enlisted in the military at 16.5 years old. He left for Texas from Boston's South Station with $8 in his pocket, Woodhouse said.
"I was reluctant to do this because it's not protocol," Woodhouse said of speaking at the event. "But Governor, you're not protocol. You do the right thing."
President Harry Truman on July 26, 1948 signed Executive Order 9981 that called for desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces.
"It is essential that there be maintained in the armed services of the United States the highest standards of democracy, with equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve in our country's defense..." the order stated. "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."
But amid resistance in 1948, it took several more years before integration was achieved in all branches, including in Army, which was wary the policy would "lead to a decline in national security," according to the National Parks Service.
Baseball was desegregated before the military, said Rep. Bud Williams, chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, as he cited the example of Jackie Robinson. At the ceremony, he also touched on the legacy of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment -- a Black unit that fought during the Civil War -- and the Buffalo Soldiers, which consisted of Black regiments that fought on the Western frontier after the Civil War.
"Integration works -- it makes us better, it makes us stronger," said Williams, whose father served in the Navy. "It makes us a leader. It fulfills what the Constitution is supposed to be all about ... The military really is ahead of general society -- in terms of advancing in the Navy, and Marines and Army -- than we are in a general society. They've done it, they've done it the right way."
Santiago said Truman's executive order acknowledged the diversity of soldiers who long fought for the country's freedom, clarifies that people of color need opportunity, and issues a call to action.
"While we've come a long way in racial issues, there's still so much more to do," Santiago said. "As secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans' Services, and with leadership of the LG and governor, you have our guarantee that we will strive to live up to those values each and every day."
Santiago said he's proud to be a Latino veteran and is "particularly proud" of Deputy Secretary Andrea Gayle-Bennett, whom he described as a "Black woman with an incredible background."
A local Franklin veteran, who began service in the military in the 1970s, recalled that for him, the military by then seemed color blind. "I served with a very diverse group of people. What mattered most was rank and longevity," he said.
Different cultures forge the strength of the military, said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, whose father served in the Navy.
"When we see diversity in action, we know it makes for a place that everyone can feel welcome and included," Driscoll said. "And that's what today is really about."
Monday's signing ceremony, which Healey called Santiago's idea, comes days before the kickoff of the 114th National NAACP Convention in Boston.
"We thought that there was no better way to begin this historic week in the city of Boston, in the state of Massachusetts, than by honoring the veterans of color, who not only fought for their own rights, but whose service made all of our freedoms possible," Healey said.
Healey also used the ceremony to lament the Supreme Court's "very misguided" affirmative action decision. The court made an exception for military academies, Healey said, as she read the opinion that said ensuring a diverse officer corps is a "U.S. national security imperative."
"That is so true, and it's the same argument that was made years later when we pushed for inclusion of gay and lesbian service members and those who wanted to serve," Healey said. "And it is a shame that the Supreme Court, of course, didn't apply that beyond the military because at the end of the day, we know that true excellence for society -- to get the best out of people, to get the best policies, and the best laws, and the best outcomes -- comes from drawing upon the diversity of perspective and experience."
