Page 30 - Florida Sentinel 8-7-20

National
Military Brat Becomes First
Virginia Mayor Compares Biden’s VP Hopefuls To ‘Aunt Jemima’ In Racist Facebook Post
Woman To Lead Virginia National
Guard Infantry Company
A suspected white su- premacist who is also the mayor of a Virginia town was being urged to resign after he was accused of posting and ap- parently deleted a racist social media post addressing the prospects of Joe Biden pick- ing a Black woman to be his vice-presidential running mate.
A city council member called for Barry Presgraves, the mayor of Luray, a town in the Shenandoah Valley of the northern part of the common- wealth, to step down over the alleged Facebook post that was preserved through a screen- shot, according to local news outlet WTOP. Presgraves’ al- leged post said, “Joe Biden has just announced Aunt Jemima as his VP pick.”
Leah Pence, the council member, sent an email on Monday to Presgraves en- couraging him to resign.
“I am writing to strongly urge you to resign over a racist comment you made on Face- book,” Pence wrote. “The comment you posted has a type of humor that has not been appropriate or funny in
WOODSTOCK, Va. -- The first woman chosen to lead a Virginia National Guard in- fantry company said it felt "a bit surreal" when she formally took command during a cere- mony Saturday.
Capt. Candice Bowen
takes over the Woodstock- based Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regi- ment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Capt. Timothy England.
“I honestly am just ready to take charge of the company and lead my soldiers," Bowen said.
Bowen, a self-proclaimed military brat who was born in Germany and now lives in Northern Virginia, graduated U. S. Army’s Infantry Basic Of- ficer Leader Course at the Ma- neuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Before that Bowen gradu- ated from Penn State where she earned her commission. She later deployed to Qatar with 3rd Battalion in 2016 and volunteered for a follow-on as- signment with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Afghanistan where she was earned the Combat Action Badge.
Bowen's father, a retired
CAPT. CANDICE BOWEN
Army sergeant major, pinned a blue infantry cord to her uni- form, during the ceremony.
“Today marks a special mo- ment in the Virginia Army Na- tional Guard history as we welcome the first female in- fantry company commander, a selection based on merit with no special treatment and an officer who has demonstrated the absolute ability to lead Sol- diers in close combat," Col. Joseph DiNonno, com- mander of the 116th IBCT, said. "I take special pride in seeing this change of com- mand and knowing what we celebrate as a first today will be commonplace tomorrow.”
FACEBOOK POST
my lifetime or yours.”
The alleged post was a racist
nod to the distinct possibility that Biden could pick a Black woman to join him atop the Democratic ticket in Novem- ber. It also came as the nation was protesting racism and having a racial reckoning.
The “Aunt Jemima” refer- ence is racist and rooted in the offensive imagery created by the Quaker Oats Company. Aunt Jemima was originally depicted as a servant and closely resembled images of
mammies—a derogatory term used to describe a Black nurse- maid. Although the company decided to change Aunt Jemima’s image nearly three decades ago, its link to racist imagery still lingered.
One of the many incarna- tions of the “Aunt” — a relic of a term draped with racist over- tones – appeared with a rag tied on her head. Another fre- quently used broken English that was many times associ- ated with how slaves spoke: “I’s in town, honey!”
Navy Investigates Video Of Dogs Attacking Kaepernick Fill-In
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The U. S. Navy is investigat- ing an incident in which dogs attacked a “Colin Kaeper- nick stand-in” during a K-9 demonstration during a 2019 fundraiser at the Navy Seals Museum in Florida.
The Navy said in a state- ment posted on Twitter that officials became aware of the video on Sunday.
Kaepernick is a former San Francisco 49ers quarter- back who began kneeling dur- ing the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” before games to protest social injus- tice and police brutality. He played his final NFL game in January 2017. He offered sup- port to those protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May, and the NFL’s commissioner has apologized for not listening earlier to play-
COLIN KAEPERNICK
ers’ concerns about social in- justice.
The videos show four dogs attacking a man, who is wear- ing a red Kaepernick football jersey over heavily padded gear as people stand nearby watching. In a second video, the man is laying on the ground when he’s approached
by men wearing fatigues and holding rifles, saying, “On your belly.” The man replies, “Oh, man, I will stand,” as he rolls over, followed by laughing from the crowd.
The videos were apparently posted on Instagram last year and resurfaced over the week- end.
“The inherent message of this video is completely incon- sistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the U. S. Navy,” the state- ment said.
The Navy said the “initial indications” are that no active duty personnel or equipment were used in the demonstra- tion at the “independent orga- nization’s event.”
The Navy Seals Museum is located in Fort Pierce, Florida, which is north of West Palm Beach on the state’s Atlantic Coast.
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