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Page 8 The Skanner May 18, 2016 News Photo Controversy Highlights Black Women in Long Gray Line Errin Haines Whack Associated Press S elf-expression is hardly a part of life for cadets at the United States Mili- tary Academy. So it was far from ordi- nary when 16 black wom- en put their own spin on the traditional grad- uation photo, hoisting their fists in the air while posing in their dress uni- forms, swords at their sides. A social media firestorm followed. So did an internal inquiry at the school. Some viewed the ca- dets’ pose as a gesture of racial solidarity and strength. Others ques- tioned whether it was a statement of support for Black Lives Matter. West Point officials de- cided last week that the photo was not politically motivated and no pun- ishment was warranted. Still, that outcome left some black female grad- uates confused: Why would anyone see con- troversy in how those 16 women celebrated their experience in the Long Gray Line? “When I saw it, I said, ‘I wish me and my class- mates had taken a pic- ture like that,’” said Shalela Dowdy, a 2012 graduate and a friend of some of the women in the photograph. “But something clicked in my mind that not too many people would be happy about that picture. The fist stands for unity and solidarity, but some peo- ple are going to take this the wrong way.” None of the 16 women would agree to be inter- viewed for this story. Speaking through black alumnae, they cited a need to focus on their graduation next Satur- day, when Vice President Joe Biden will give the commencement address, and life after West Point. For some, that will mean active duty service in the Army. They will become Army officers after leav- ing the academy. The picture was one of several the women took in their traditional dress uniforms. A different photo, without the raised firsts, was tweeted by the chairwoman of West Point’s Board of Visitors. Mary Tobin, who has mentored other black female cadets since grad- uating in 2003, said few are inclined to discuss their experiences pub- licly. “To be a black woman at West Point is essentially to make a choice going in ... that the majority of the time, you can never fully express your wom- anhood or your black- ness,” Tobin said. “We’re told we’re all green. We don’t ever talk about it, because it’s hard enough for everyone at West Point to graduate.” The cadets pictured are joining a rare but proud group of black women who have broken barri- ers on dual fronts at West Point. In interviews with The Associated Press, black alumnae describe a rewarding experience with challenges that in- cluded navigating racial incidents. 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Self-expression is hardly a part of life for cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point. So it was very out of the ordinary when 16 black women put their own spin on the traditional graduation photo, and hoisted their fists in the air while posing in their dress uniforms, swords at their sides, their faces both stoic and smiling. West Point went co-ed in 1976. Four years lat- er, there were 62 female graduates. In that class were the first black fe- male graduates, Joy Dal- las and Priscilla “Pat” Walker Locke. West Point has graduated 357 black women in its 114- year history, and the Class of 2016 includes 18 black women. Blacks have contribut- ed to West Point’s legacy for centuries, from the first African-American cadet, Henry O. Flipper, who graduated in 1877, to 2nd Lt. Emily Perez, a black woman who was the first member of the “Class of 9/11” to die in combat, in 2006. According to admis- sions director Col. Deb- orah McDonald, about 15,000 students apply to West Point each year, and about 9 percent en- roll. There were 1,859 black applicants for the incoming freshman class, and 14 percent of them were accepted, Mc- Donald said. West Point’s numbers are mirrored at the oth- er U.S. military service academies. The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, counts 20 women who identify as African-American in its 2016 graduating class of 1,215. The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has a graduating class of 827, of whom 11 are Afri- can-American women. The Coast Guard Acad- emy, in New London, Connecticut, didn’t have a gender breakdown by race, but said three stu- dents identifying as Afri- can-American are in the graduating class of 186. Once enrolled, stu- dents are immersed in a campus environment that doesn’t focus on in- dividuality, said Donald Outing, West Point’s chief diversity officer. Make The Skanner part of your daily routine WOW! 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