Arlington Cemetery Erased Black Military History But the Sports World Stays Silent

From color guards and hosting military families to scheduling military appreciation nights and producing military-inspired apparel, supporting the military is something that sports leagues across the U.S. take very seriously, and rightfully so.

Yet after Arlington Cemetary scrubbed links to information on Black, Latino and women soldiers from its website due to this administration’s ridiculous anti-DEI decree across federal agencies, these same leagues have gone silent.

Last week, word spread quickly that the history of Black, Latino and women soldiers who served and died for this country could no longer be found on the website of Arlington National Cemetary.

“We are proud of our educational content and programming and working diligently to return removed content to ensure alignment with Department of Defense instruction 5400.17 and Executive Orders issued by the President,” said an Army spokesperson to The Independent. “We remain committed to sharing the stories of military service and sacrifice to the nation with transparency and professionalism, while continuing to engage with our community in a manner that reflects our core values.”

Yet if visitors want to know about the “lists of notable graves, walking tours and educational material pertaining to Black, Hispanic and women veterans, as well as some Medal of Honor recipients,” they can no longer do so.

This situation should infuriate everyone, regardless of gender or the color of their skin, especially the sports world.

Yet no league or so-called patriotic athlete has uttered a word in protest or anger over this action.

Now why is that? (complete sarcasm as we all know the answer).

Remember the outrage when Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the Anthem to protest police brutality and support social justice change? Where is that energy for these war heroes?

Angry protests are erupting over Elon Musk’s destruction of the VA, which will impact veterans in every way. Where’s that same outrage over the actions of Arlington Cemetary, especially from the sports world?

The NFL produces camouflage-inspired hats and hoodies and hosts its “Salute to Service” initiative throughout the entire month of November.

“Salute to Service represents our year-round commitment to the military community, and we are proud to recognize and honor our country’s service members, veterans and their families,” said Commissioner Goodell in a statement.

The NBA has an entire “Hoops for Troops” program which includes military appreciation nights and discounts for “active and retired service members and their families.”

The NFL’s percentage of Black players is 53%; the NBA’s is a little over 70%.

So where’s their fury over the erasure of Black military history?

Continue reading over at First and Pen.