Just as Jeff Passan forced the Trump administration to backtrack on removing a Jackie Robinson article from the Pentagon website, the DEI police are at it again.
This time, the administration has set its sights on Robinson’s legacy again, following its earlier decision to remove the article detailing his military service. The backlash from those like Clinton Yates and Mina Kimes, along with significant public pressure from Passan, quickly forced a reversal.
Less than an hour after Passan shared a statement from then-Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot defending the removal, the article was put back online.
Ullyot has since been reassigned.
But the story doesn’t end there.
A biography of Robinson has now been flagged for removal from the Nimitz Library at the U.S. Naval Academy following an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to The New York Times, the directive instructs the Academy to identify and remove books with diversity, equity, and inclusion themes from its collection.
In what may not be a coincidence, Hegseth is reportedly scheduled to visit the Naval Academy this Tuesday.
The Robinson biography is one of 900 books flagged under the new policy, with other notable titles including “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.” and “Einstein on Race and Racism.”
The Naval Academy’s response to the NYT did little to quell concerns about the removal of Robinson’s biography.
“The U.S. Naval Academy is fully committed to executing and implementing all directives outlined in executive orders issued by the president and is currently reviewing the Nimitz Library collection to ensure compliance,” said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman. “The Navy is carrying out these actions with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives.”
Apparently, the effort to erase Jackie Robinson’s legacy isn’t stopping anytime soon. After the Pentagon reversed its decision, the Naval Academy’s move to reportedly pull his biography shows the ongoing struggle over how Robinson’s legacy is remembered.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.