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Military to stop spending resources on ‘identity month’ celebrations, including Black History & Pride Months

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Secretary of Defense sent a memo out to the armed forces stating "Identity Months Dead at DoD."

The Department of Defense says this move was made to focus on the character of their service members' actions instead of their immutable characteristics, but many are concerned about the change and even called it ignorant. 

"I think it's a message of exclusion," Isaac Newton Farris Jr, a nephew of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a senior fellow at the King Institute told KRDO13, "One of the reasons why we make an effort in this country to do things that include everyone is because of our unfortunate past history of excluding everyone except American whites."

"I don't think it's a case of dividing us or separating us or even saying that some peoples, some groups, histories, and experiences matter more or less than others," Denver University Professor and Director of the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society Joshua Furman said remembering and celebrating 'identity months' and other holidays is important.

The Department of Defense says service men and women will still be able to attend events and celebrations off the clock.

However, month-long celebrations aren't the only thing being taken off the table.

The Associated Press is reporting the Defense Department’s Intelligence Agency paused observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, and the Holocaust Day of Remembrance.

"We celebrated all the different history months," Shirley Martinez is the current President of the Pikes Peak Diversity Board and in her past spent 20 years serving our country. This press release serves as a stark contrast from her time in the service. "It gave us an opportunity to learn about each other, to learn about the innovations that those different groups did," Martinez said.

But Martinez was far from doom and gloom, rather seeing the memo as an opportunity.

"I'm taking it as a challenge that we still have some work to do. if they're feeling that we need to be doing more for all, then maybe we need to be looking at that."

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Michael Logerwell

Michael Logerwell is a weekend anchor and member of the KRDO13 Investigates team. Learn more about him here.

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