Your Voice Matters - U.S. Army Equity and Inclusion Agency hosts listening session at Fort Bliss

Photo By Staff Sgt. Christina Westover | Sgt. 1st Class Mellissa Calderon (left), an equal opportunity advisor with the U.S. Army Equity and Inclusion Agency, and Maj. Brian Schlosser Jr. (right), the Diversity Operations Officer for the U.S. Army Equity and Inclusion Agency, express the importance of Soldiers voicing concerns. The agency hosted a “Your Voice Matters,” listening sessions at Fort Bliss, Texas, August 24-26. The sessions encouraged Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians from across the installation to discuss concerns with current policies and doctrine and how the Army can foster a better climate of trust. The comments provided were confidential, but written down in order to bring up to higher echelons to enact change. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christina Westover, 24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element)  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

08.26.2021

Story by Cpl. Christina Westover 

24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

FORT BLISS, Texas - The U.S. Army Equity and Inclusion Agency hosted a listening session, titled “Your Voice Matters,” at Fort Bliss, Texas, August 24-26. The sessions encouraged Soldiers and Department of Defense civilians from across the installation to discuss current policies and doctrine that they feel need to be updated or revised, any concerns that they may have, or how the Army can foster a better climate of trust. The comments provided were confidential, and were written down in order to bring up to higher echelons to enact change.

“This year has been hard for all of us,” stated Mr. Anselm Beach, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for the Equity and Inclusion Division. “We live in a time period where there is civil unrest, political divide, and a world-wide pandemic. We have been conducting these sessions since June of 2020 in an effort to promote equality and fairness across the force. This forum gives you a chance to speak freely about the issues and concerns that you’ve experienced in the Army and gives us insight in order to rewrite and revise our regulations.”

Some of the things that the Army has changed due to these sessions are the removal of photos in promotion boards due to possible prejudice, an added alternate Army Combat Fitness Test event, updated grooming standards in Army Regulation 670-1, a 12 month deployment deferment after the birth of a child, and the extension of the timeline to 365 days for postpartum Soldiers to meet body fat standards set forth in Army Regulation 600-9.

“What we are doing is helping the collective based on their shared experiences,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mellissa Calderon, the Equity and Inclusion Senior Equal Opportunity Advisor. “Equal opportunity has always been something that’s important to me, so being selected to work at the Headquarters Department of the Army and be able to enact even more change has been truly amazing and humbling. I feel like I’m making a difference.”

The panel of Equity and Inclusion leaders has visited 22 Army installations and received feedback from over 7, 000 Soldiers and DoD civilians. The topics are generally centered around unfair treatment due to race, religion, gender, and rank. Other topics, such as the Army policy on facial hair and beards, access to childcare on post, and access to mental health services were also discussed.

In previous sensing sessions, Soldiers have raised their concerns after missing meal times due to missions or other conflicting issues. The Army is currently testing the effectiveness of dining cards in which Soldiers can use their basic allowance for sustenance at any food establishment on post, instead of just the dining facilities. If these dining cards go into effect, it could greatly improve the quality of life for Soldiers across the Army.

“We are able to make these changes because people like you came to these sessions and talked about your personal experiences,” said Mr. Beach. “Your voice matters and we’re here to listen.”

• Date Taken: 08.26.2021
• Date Posted: 08.31.2021 19:57
• Story ID: 404189
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US