By: Charles Blatcher, III
Chairman, National Coalition of Black Veterans
For Immediate Release
Date: March 10, 2025
March 5th marked the first national solidarity rally organized by Black Veterans. By all measures, the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations views the event as a success. Veterans came out in cities nationwide to show support for the employees of the Veterans Administration. It is important that the public understand the premise behind why the gathering was important. The GI Bill was established as a covenant between the nation and the soldiers, sailors and marines who served in its defense. It was enacted in 1944 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to aid in the transition of service personnel back into civilian life.
The covenant is under attack by the Trump Administration. The attack on the Veterans Administration and its service providers is a direct attack on American Veterans. We called on Veterans organizations including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations to mobilize in opposition. Diverse groups participated, but too many Black Veteran groups did not join the protest, which is disappointing. The disrespect and destabilization of the workforce/service providers have a direct impact on services to all in the entire VA system. Collectively, we all hold a responsibility in addressing this crisis on behalf of veterans.
In Trump’s recent speech to the nation, he made statements that were not consistent with the current facts about our nation’s affairs. However, he mentioned how military recruitment is up in all branches of the services. That may be one of the few things he said that was true. He omitted the reason for the increase, implying the rise in patriotism was due to his leadership. An assumption that defies reason as we witness democratic rights eroding daily. Military recruitment rises when job prospects fall. The increase reflects the negative impact his policies are having on the economy. The decrease in employment opportunities results in the armed forces becoming a common option for young people, especially those from minority communities and lower-income backgrounds. National defense obligations should be shared across the board by all citizens regardless of race or economic status. Obviously that sentiment is not shared by the current administration. The administration made it apparent in its Project 2025 Plan mandating ASVAB (Aptitude) exams in federally funded public high schools to address military recruitment. Private school students are exempt, a fact that reflects the administration’s true intention about who should be held responsible for the defense of the nation. The administration is simultaneously minimizing obligations to veterans. We do not think the attack on veteran benefits are coincidental, instead it is by design. The reduction aims to lower the nation’s financial obligations to those who have no or fewer options but to serve.
Cutting veterans’ benefits impacts all who served honorably, a fact that ties all the groups together. However, the administration’s overall intentions to place the heavier burden of defending the nation on youth of color and the less affluent should be of equal concern to all. We call on the nation, especially the Black community, to demand that the national defense duties are shared by all our youth, regardless of race or wealth. The defense of the nation is a joint responsibility.
The administration plans to reduce the VA workforce by 80,000 employees in the coming months. There is one thing that we can count on, when the cuts begin the services in the urban communities will be disproportionately the hardest impacted.
Given the growing dissatisfaction with the Administration’s policies in departments across the board, a march on Washington is likely to occur this summer. We are calling on the major veteran organizations to play a leading role in planning for veteran participation. The organizations, including the National Coalition of Black Veterans have a responsibility on behalf of veterans nationwide to demand the administration honors its covenant to American Veterans.
###### For contact email cnmmmf@aol.com ######
Together, we can make a difference.
The National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations.
The National Minority Military Museum Foundation
American Legion-Charles Young Post #398,
The Buffalo Soldiers 9th & 10th Horse Cavalry Association.
The USCG National Association of Former Stewards & Steward Mates,
The Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Committee-Inland Empire Heritage Association,
The Greater Washington DC
Chapter, Ninth & Tenth (HORSE) Cavalry Association,
The Association of the 2221 Negro Infantry Volunteers World War II,
The 9th Memorial United States Cavalry Association,
The National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS), Inc.,
The American Legion-Cook-Nelson Post #20.
The 555th Black Paratroopers Association,
The 369th Veterans Associations, The 715th Veterans Association,
The Montford Point Marines Association,
The 761st Tank Battalion and Allied Veterans Association,
The African American Gallery of the Ethnic Heritage Museum,
The ACES Veterans Museum,
The Colonel Charles Young American Legion Post #682,
The 13th United States Colored Troops Living History Association,
The Veterans Media Community Network,
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum,
The 6888th Central Directory Postal Battalion and
NAACP National Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee.
