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A U.S. military recruiting agency has dropped its outreach efforts at a Black engineering event amid President Donald Trump's attempts to eliminate DEI programs and initiatives.
According to Military.com, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command announced that they will no longer recruit potential service members at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA), an annual event for students, academics, and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
“In compliance with Department of Defense and Headquarters Department of the Army guidance, U.S. Army Recruiting Command will not participate in the upcoming BEYA event,” Madison Bonzo, a service spokesperson, told Military.com. “Service members and civilians are permitted to attend this event in an unofficial/personal capacity if they choose to do so.”
BEYA previously served as a way for the Pentagon to access STEM expertise, award Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarships, and recruit rising engineers to the military. The Army Recruiting Command had a long-standing partnership with the event. The Army chief of staff and other senior military leaders previously were involved with BEYA.
One Army recruiter said BEYA “has always been significant” for the branch and is “one of the most talent-dense events we do.”
“It’s f—ing racist,” one active-duty U.S. Army general said. “For the Army now, it’s ‘Blacks need not apply,’ and it breaks my heart.”
The Navy, Air Force, and Space Force also withdrew participation from BEYA and prohibited officials from attending in uniform. Defense officials reportedly suggested they would pull out of other events tied to racial groups.
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