Restoring America Means More Tuskegee Airmen And Less DEI

One of the most common rebuttals you’ll get when you criticize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any meaningful fashion are historical red herrings. If you’re so opposed to DEI, such arguments go, then you must have a problem with people learning about America’s history of slavery, the civil rights movement, and anything to do with race relations. Obviously, these arguments are fallacious ones — but that hasn’t stopped them from coming up in the middle of modern debates over DEI and America’s struggles with racial division.

Recently, the Air Force was forced to confront this argument. In the wake of President Trump’s executive order prohibiting discriminatory DEI practices at the federal level, reports surfaced that the Air Force had removed (for “review”) instructional materials pertaining to the historical legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots, along with material on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), a paramilitary group that served during World War II. Among those outraged over the implications of this review was Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who deemed the move “malicious compliance” on X, a sentiment Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed. “This will not stand.” Shortly after, the Air Force confirmed that “no curriculum or content highlighting the honor and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen or Women Air Force Service Pilots [was] removed from Basic Military Training.”

If, as some of DEI’s most outspoken allies maintain, critics of modern DEI initiatives are truly motivated by racial animus, or a sincere desire to whitewash America’s history, the story of the Tuskegee Airmen would definitely be on the chopping block.

Hailing from central Alabama, the Airmen had to overcome the pervasive Jim Crow laws often used to block black soldiers from becoming pilots. The Airmen, recognizable by their planes’ iconic red tails, served honorably in World War II despite facing bigotry and racism during their time in the armed forces, flying more than 15,000 missions. According to the National WWII Museum, “In all, the Tuskegee Airmen earned eight Purple Hearts, fourteen Bronze Stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.”

To understand their story, and the story of the many minorities who achieved success and greatness in America during that time, is to understand what real structural racism and anti-meritocratic prejudice looks like. Furthermore, to understand their crucial role in American history is to understand exactly why many modern arguments for DEI simply do not pass muster. The reality is that a black pilot in 1940 facing Jim Crow racism is not at all analogous to a potential IBM intern who happens to be an “underrepresented minority” facing a normal meritocratic selection process. And using the valor and perseverance of the former to justify “diversity” quotas that serve the latter is to cede that past discrimination requires present discrimination.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a devastating argument against much of the modern DEI space. Thus, it’s suspicious that it’s even part of a conversation about ending DEI. The reality is that no serious DEI skeptics have any problem with the Tuskegee Airmen. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Katie Britt (R-AL) stating the obvious truth that DEI doesn’t just mean “anything involving minorities” is a win for sanity and normalcy. It’s a sign that conservatives can walk and chew gum at the same time — we can repudiate the extremes of DEI while being honest about what America’s victories over racism have actually cost.

As litmus tests go, that’s a basic one. But, given how many DEI advocates seemingly can’t pass it, it’s an important one.

* * *

Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X @IsaacWillour.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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One of the most common rebuttals you’ll get when you criticize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any meaningful fashion are historical red herrings. If you’re so opposed to DEI, such arguments go, then you must have a problem with people learning about America’s history of slavery, the civil rights movement, and anything to do with race relations. Obviously, these arguments are fallacious ones — but that hasn’t stopped them from coming up in the middle of modern debates over DEI and America’s struggles with racial division.

Recently, the Air Force was forced to confront this argument. In the wake of President Trump’s executive order prohibiting discriminatory DEI practices at the federal level, reports surfaced that the Air Force had removed (for “review”) instructional materials pertaining to the historical legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots, along with material on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), a paramilitary group that served during World War II. Among those outraged over the implications of this review was Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who deemed the move “malicious compliance” on X, a sentiment Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed. “This will not stand.” Shortly after, the Air Force confirmed that “no curriculum or content highlighting the honor and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen or Women Air Force Service Pilots [was] removed from Basic Military Training.”

If, as some of DEI’s most outspoken allies maintain, critics of modern DEI initiatives are truly motivated by racial animus, or a sincere desire to whitewash America’s history, the story of the Tuskegee Airmen would definitely be on the chopping block.

Hailing from central Alabama, the Airmen had to overcome the pervasive Jim Crow laws often used to block black soldiers from becoming pilots. The Airmen, recognizable by their planes’ iconic red tails, served honorably in World War II despite facing bigotry and racism during their time in the armed forces, flying more than 15,000 missions. According to the National WWII Museum, “In all, the Tuskegee Airmen earned eight Purple Hearts, fourteen Bronze Stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.”

To understand their story, and the story of the many minorities who achieved success and greatness in America during that time, is to understand what real structural racism and anti-meritocratic prejudice looks like. Furthermore, to understand their crucial role in American history is to understand exactly why many modern arguments for DEI simply do not pass muster. The reality is that a black pilot in 1940 facing Jim Crow racism is not at all analogous to a potential IBM intern who happens to be an “underrepresented minority” facing a normal meritocratic selection process. And using the valor and perseverance of the former to justify “diversity” quotas that serve the latter is to cede that past discrimination requires present discrimination.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a devastating argument against much of the modern DEI space. Thus, it’s suspicious that it’s even part of a conversation about ending DEI. The reality is that no serious DEI skeptics have any problem with the Tuskegee Airmen. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Katie Britt (R-AL) stating the obvious truth that DEI doesn’t just mean “anything involving minorities” is a win for sanity and normalcy. It’s a sign that conservatives can walk and chew gum at the same time — we can repudiate the extremes of DEI while being honest about what America’s victories over racism have actually cost.

As litmus tests go, that’s a basic one. But, given how many DEI advocates seemingly can’t pass it, it’s an important one.

* * *

Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X @IsaacWillour.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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