Biden’s VA Must Have More Black Veterans In Leadership Roles To Address ‘Inequalities,’ Open Letter Urges

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January 27, 2021

By Bruce C.T. Wright, NewsOne

As it stands now, there is only one Black person among 17 executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs

…The Black Veteran Empowerment Council (BVEC), which describes itself as “a coalition of national, state and local veteran organizations seeking to shift long-standing racial, economic and social inequalities suffered by Black veterans in the United States,” published an open letter Wednesday urging the appointment of Black veterans to senior roles within the VA. It’s the only way that Black veterans can not only fully enjoy the benefits their white counterparts do but also have solace knowing a VA leader has their best interests at heart.

Some of that unequal treatment dates back hundreds of years while some is still happening right now, the letter said.

“Deliberate obstruction and inaccessibility of benefits have stripped countless deserving Black families of economic and educational opportunity owed to them for the selfless sacrifice of military service,” the letter said in part. “Some of the most egregious examples are the denial of survivor pension benefits following the Civil War, disproportionate distribution of the G.I. Bill after World War II, and steep inequality across VA disability claim approvals during and after the Vietnam War.”…

Black veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars, all of whom received the Purple Heart medal during their service, stand together during a ceremony, organized by American Legion Post 16 and the City of Lynchburg, honoring their sacrifice

…“Though strides have been made in recent years to address severe gaps in healthcare for women, solutions to the unique challenges facing African American women-veterans under VA must be led by senior leaders committed to representing our interests,” Patricia Jackson-Kelley, President of the National Association of Black Military Women, which is part of BVEC, said.

The letter goes on to say that “entrenched racism and a callous indifference by VA to sufficiently redress these harms have further exacerbated the plight of the Black Veteran community.”…

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