Walter Williams wrote a recent editorial about the Naval Academy and their Diversity Program. Having experienced this form of discrimination many times while a federal employee, I agree with him wholeheartedly. Here’s how the Naval Academy's PowerPoint display explains diversity by saying, "Diversity is all the different characteristics and attributes of individual sailors and civilians which enhance the mission readiness of the Navy," adding that: "Diversity is more than equal opportunity, race, gender or religion. Diversity is the understanding of how each of us brings different skills, talents and experiences to the fight -- and valuing those differences. Leveraging diversity creates an environment of excellence and continuous improvement to remove artificial achievement barriers and value the contribution of all participants." Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of Naval Operations, says that "diversity is the No. 1 priority" at the academy.” Unfortunately, how diversity is being and is to be achieved completely belies this statement.

Says Walter, “Diversity at the Naval Academy, as at most academic institutions, is not about equal opportunity but a race and sex spoils system to achieve what the Navy brass see as a pleasing race and sex mix. They accomplish that vision by the removal of "artificial achievement barriers." Mr. Williams, a professional, educated black man of real accomplishment, then describes what he sees as the Naval Academy’s artificial achievement barrier candidate, a black with B and C grades, with no particular leadership qualities, and 500 on both portions of the SAT. Such is virtually guaranteed admittance while a white student, who's not an athlete, with such scores is deemed not qualified. In fact, there is a disproportionate number of unqualified blacks now in attendance at 3 service academies.

Many students ( of all minority groups) are admitted to the Naval Academy through remedial training at the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, R.I., which is a one-year post-secondary school. Finishing the year with a 2.0 GPA, a C average, almost guarantees admission to the academy. A C average for remedial work is nothing to write home about. Occasionally, when students don't make the 2.0 GPA target, the target is renegotiated downward. Minority applicants with SAT scores down to the 300s and with Cs and Ds grades (and no particular leadership or athletics) are also admitted after a remedial year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School. “ All the academies have their remedial schools.

But such unqualified applicants who apply for mere government positions not Military Academies are still hired and given promotion preferences over higher qualified non-minorities simply because they exist, even though the Civil Service Law governing “equal opportunity” dictates different methodology for selections than mere color or gender. The Law is ignored in the name of diversity and most promotional selections must first be approved by some “equal opportunity” office or board made up of minorities, generally blacks. This has been going on so long, there is a huge majority disparity of black women who now run virtually every agency in Washington.

Selection boards and officials are under constant pressure to select minorities rather than better qualified and educated whites. They found the way to do this legally is to lower the overall standards for selections by discounting education directly related to the agencies for which they work, equalizing outside work experience with experience gained within each agency, then allowing anyone with an overall score above the actual minimum required to be selected rather than the most qualified. Sometimes the information and selection criteria used become “unavailable” or the selectors are told to NOT write anything down because no records will then be available in case of lawsuits or reviews.

Diversity agendas give rise to widespread resentments at two levels. Some minorities admitted or promoted meritoriously on the same basis as whites, resent the idea of being seen as having the same minimal qualities as blacks given preferential treatment, in other words being ignorant. Another level of resentment comes from whites who see minorities being admitted, retained, and promoted at lower levels of overall performance and achievement then being treated with kid gloves. If any whites openly complain about the unequal treatment, they run the risk of being labeled as racists, one of the most unappreciated aspects of preferential treatment. It runs the risk of creating racist attitudes, and possibly feelings of racial superiority, among whites and others who were formerly racially neutral.  

Governments at all levels, Colleges, Universities, and Corporations with racially preferential admittance and promotional policies are doing a great disservice to blacks and other minorities in another, mostly ignored, way. By admitting and promoting poorly prepared and educated blacks and minorities, they are helping to conceal the grossly fraudulent education they receive at the K through 12 grades. Also, ignorance breeds ignorance and bad decisions because the poorly prepared don’t want to compete with more highly qualified so tend to select and promote other poorly qualified minorities with whom they can better compete. And this forces already low standards even lower.

PL Booth, www.blueeyeview.blogspot.com 07/22/09