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May 9, 2016

West Point Investigates Photo of Black Women Cadets Raising Fists
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The West Point military academy has launched an investigation into a
group of African-American women cadets after a photo surfaced showing
them posing with their fists in the air as they were set to graduate.
The gesture was seen by some as a sign of solidarity with the Black
Lives Matter movement; Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their hands
in a similar gesture, the Black Power salute, at the 1968 Olympics in
Mexico City. But a West Point graduate who spoke with the cadets told
The New York Times: "These ladies weren't raising their fist to say
Black Panthers. They were raising it to say Beyoncé. For them it's not a
sign of allegiance to a movement, it's a sign that means unity and pride
and sisterhood. That fist to them meant you and your sisters did what
only a few people, male or female, have ever done in this country." The
photo showed 16 cadets-all but one of the black women in the graduating
class of 1,000.
Topics:Military

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