Jackie Robinson was court-martialed in the Army for refusing to move to the back of a bus. (AP Photo/Bill Chaplis, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A week after removing then restoring an article about Jackie Robinson from the Pentagon’s website, the Trump administration has reportedly gone back to that well.
A biography about Jackie Robinson has been identified as a candidate for removal from the Nimitz Library at the U.S. Naval Academy due to a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the school to identify books with diversity, equity and inclusion themes and remove them from circulation, according to The New York Times.
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The Robinson biography is reportedly one of 900 books identified as conflicting with the order, with other examples including “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.” and “Einstein on Race and Racism.”
The Naval Academy’s statement, via NYT:
“The U.S. Naval Academy is fully committed to executing and implementing all directives outlined in executive orders issued by the president and is currently reviewing the Nimitz Library collection to ensure compliance,” said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, a Navy spokesman. “The Navy is carrying out these actions with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives.”
Hegseth is reportedly scheduled to visit the Naval Academy on Tuesday. It’s unclear if the flagged books will be removed before his arrival.
The move to remove the Robinson biography comes less than two weeks after the Trump administration received a torrent of criticism for removing an article about the Dodgers legend’s Army career from the Department of Defense’s website, as well as articles on subjects such as the Navajo code talkers and the first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor.
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The article in question, which discussed how Robinson was once court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus, was later restored.
When asked for comment by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot released a statement doubling down on the administration’s campaign against diversity initiatives and implying some content might be removed by mistake.
That statement was widely criticized, and another statement was quickly released with the following first paragraph:
“Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others — we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop. We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like ever other American who has worn the uniform.”
Robinson served in the Army from 1942 to 1944 as a second lieutenant in the 761st Tank Battalion. That unit went on to become the first Black tank unit to see combat in World War II. Robinson was unable to join them due to his court martial for protesting a racist policy. He was later acquitted and went on to break MLB’s color barrier.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Robinson’s team of 10 years, announced earlier this week they will visit President Trump at the White House to celebrate their 2024 World Series title in April, the same month they will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day.
