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NEWPORT, R.I. — Why do we have ethnic observances like Black History Month?
G. Lee Floyd, chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO) of Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, posed this question to NUWC Division Newport employees who tuned in for his Feb. 26 livestream talk on Microsoft Teams. The event was a part of Division Newport’s African American/Black History Month celebration.
“This is a time to highlight the contributions of Blacks to the growth of this country,” Floyd said. “Our history books don’t talk very much about certain groups that are a part of our country. The purpose of these observances is to share with others these contributions.”
Though important figures in history, this goes well beyond the likes of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass, Floyd explained. To illustrate this, he told a fictitious story about a group of white people who went to magician who could grant wishes.
“They wanted an America without Black people,” Floyd said. “Then POOF, there it was.”
After a brief moment of relief, the reality of their new America quickly set in.
There were no cities with tall skyscrapers because Alexander Mils, a Black man, invented the elevator and without it, reaching high floors was very difficult.
There were very few cars because Richard Spikes, a Black man, invented the automatic gearshift; Joseph Gammell, also Black, invented the super charge system for internal combustion engines; and Garrett A. Morgan invented traffic signals.
Furthermore, one could not use the rapid transit system because a Black man, Elbert R. Robinson, invented its precursor, the electric trolley.
Floyd went on to explain a myriad of other inventions — street sweepers, pencils, lawn mowers, the advanced printing press, air conditioners, clothes dryers, heating furnaces and many others — did not exist in the new reality either because they all were invented by Black people.
“Although this is a fictitious story, just think for a moment what would this great country of ours be like without these people,” Floyd said. “We all benefit from the inventions they came up with — true Americans.
“The thing we love about these people is not only they had exceptional talent, but they did not allow the circumstances of their birth to determine what they could accomplish. That’s something we can all take from that.”
Given the division in America — particularly recently — Floyd said, having a better understanding of American culture would serve to better unite us.
“Often, race is used as something that would divide and separate us. If we take a moment to appreciate and understand that we’re more alike than unalike — enjoy people as one American culture — than it is my belief we’ll get to a point where we don’t have to have separate celebrations,” Floyd said. “It is my hope that my grandchildren will be able to walk down the street with their heads held high, and the issue of race and gender will no longer divide us.
“People don’t always realize Dr. King wasn’t just for Black folks. He believed all people should be treated equal. We should all take it upon ourselves to learn what we can about our culture.”
After his talk concluded, Floyd took some time to answer questions and respond to comments submitted by members of the Division Newport workforce via the chat function on Microsoft Teams.
“I am so happy to have attended and listened to the words of Mr. G. Lee Floyd,” Cassandra Tompkins, an employee in Division Newport’s Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department, said. “It was a great talk and even encouraged what is often seen as uncomfortable conversations, the same ones that we need to have if we want to bring upon awareness and create positive change.”
Tompkins noted in the Teams chat that recently she had to have one of those conversations with her father to explain the importance of Black History Month.
“Kudos to you for having that conversation with your dad, but keep in mind that your dad came up in a world where that may have been the norm for him,” Floyd said. “If you continue to have those conversations, those people will continue to start understanding and hearing.
“We’re not going to alienate and demonize people; we’re going to try to educate and learn from each other. Those conversations are crucial and needed, but not just with family members. We often fail to interact with people who are different from each other.”
Those interactions also require introspection, Floyd noted, when responding to a question from Director of Corporate Communications Jeff Prater, about the role Floyd’s military upbringing played in his understanding of diversity and inclusion.
Early in his career in the Air Force, from basic training in San Antonio, Texas, to technical school and his first duty assignment at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Floyd had a recurring problem — he kept getting into fights with white men. Ultimately, he realized that he was the common denominator in these scenarios and that he was bringing baggage from previous life experiences with him to these new ones.
That level of introspection also extends to white privilege, Floyd explained, when prompted by a question from Patrick Atwood, of the Sensors and Sonar Systems Department.
“When I get up in the morning, I have to worry about if I go into a store am I going to be followed? Am I going to be pulled over? Do I have to tell my sons to be careful if they’re in these situations? I carry that with me daily,” Floyd said. “Most whites don’t have to worry about these simple things. White privilege is when you don’t have to worry about those additional factors. There are additional burdens levied upon Blacks just because they’re Black.”
Floyd also implored those following along to end the negative focus on one another’s differences.
“Let’s please stop the separatism and be one America. No one is better than the other,” Floyd said. “If we are going to make it and be so much more than what we ever could have hoped we could be, then we have to rely on each other.”
Floyd has been affiliated with the Air Force since 1983. He is a 1994 graduate of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI), Patrick Air Force Base, Brevard County, Florida. Floyd retired from active duty in November 2003 as a master sergeant.
NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2021 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 390669 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RI, US |
| Web Views: | 111 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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