Joint chiefs of staff. Chairman brown general brown spoke about civilrights, diversity and inclusion in the military. This is about 20 minutes. [applause] general brown thank you, and good morning. As president truman once said, occurs when courageous leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. Today we are here to celebrate 75 years of progress, only possible because resident truman and his administration seized the opportunity to change things to make america better. An in order that made it possible for ordinary americans to have so many opportunities. Thanks to general scott for the kind introduction. Its an honor to have someone who knows my parents, someone who served with my father, introduced me. Thank you so much. I want to thank the Truman Library institute for the opportunity, and for everyone that has worked to make the truman civilrights symposium possible. Thank you all in attendance, not yesterday, but over the course of the past three days to help us commemorate this tremendous anniversary. Throughout the symposium we have discussed the history of the executive order, the people and experiences that shaped the past 75 years. You discussed progress and highlighted opportunity, you have sought answers to the question, where have our actions lead us since the executive order . And how we have come together to commemorate its signing. I was happy to join you for last night program. It was simply spectacular. Many of the speeches included our president , the fabulous dinner, all the excellent conversation. A few months ago when i committed to speaking at this symposium, nobody told me that all of that would happen before i had the chance to speak. [laughter] so there is no pressure this morning to be the closing speaker, but i hope i can not disappoint. Today i want to talk to you about progress, only possible due to ordinary americans seizing opportunity and accomplishing the extraordinary. Since the founding of our great nation, our society has continually changed. In its infancy, america stated that all men are created equal. But without years of progress, our society would not have met that reality. Progress possible only due to the hard work and dedication of so many ordinary americans. Executive order 9981, saint 75 years ago, was a major milestone in that progress. It marked a step in our nations history, a step towards, as the executive order states, the quality of treatment and opportunity. A step in providing americans no matter their race, color, religion, or national origin, with the same opportunities to achieve the extraordinary. It gave opportunities so long denied, opportunities for all americans to serve together in the defense of our great nation. While the executive order serves as a major milestone, it is joined by executive order 9980. All three together, signed by president truman, created opportunities for americans to accomplish the exciting era. Sometimes you may not see the extraordinary. But we can just look around. Look in this very room, to see what so many have accomplished. We must share the extraordinary stories so that the next generation knows what is possible. What can be accomplished with the opportunities in front of them. Today i would like to do exactly that. Share how we got here, share some of the stories of americans who, because of this milestone, were able to accomplish extraordinary things. A few days ago on the anniversary of executive order 9981, i had the distinct honor to accept one of the only two remaining steer men training aircraft the Tuskegee Airmen trained on during world war ii. We were able to do that with a handful of documented original Tuskegee Airmen. It was a very special day for me personally, and for the u. S. Air forces. I mentioned there were only two. That other one graces the halls of this great museum. Many of you may have already seen it today or if you visited the museum previously. It has a very distinctive blue and yellow paint scheme that will end up at the National Museum of the u. S. Air force as the exact same paint scheme. Reflecting on that story of that aircraft and accepting the aircraft, made me realize how far we have come. The progress our society has made since the Tuskegee Airmen learned to conquer the skies. The story of that plan, of those airmen. It is never a guarantee. They took it took the extent and reactions of two americans and a chance meeting with the third, seizing opportunity to make it happen. Three africanamerican aviators organized a goodwill flight from chicago to washington, d. C. Their mission was to port congress and lobby for change and legislation that would allow africanamericans to join the army air corps. They flew from chicago to washington, d. C. In a two seater lincoln ptk biplane. It had a decade of wear and tear and was really brought to its breaking point. They had difficulty from the very start of the flight making it to washington, d. C. It was fraught with mechanical issues, technical delays, but through all of that, they persevered. They refused to give up and they finally made it to washington, d. C. While walking the halls of congress, they crossed paths with one senator. The senator was harry s. Truman. After hearing about the flight and being shown the wornout biplane that brought them from chicago, the senator from missouri, the show me state, told them, if you guys have the guts to fly that thing to washington, i have the guts enough to see you get what you are asking for. True to his word, then senator truman wrote legislation to show training for all americans, free of bias, under the civilian Pilot Training program. By the end of that year, Congress Passed the new civil Pilot Training program legislation, and this time, with funding earmarked for Flight Training at historically black colleges and universities, paving the way for the Tuskegee Airmen. Nine years later after the chance meeting with dell white and others, president truman signed executive order 9981. It took two ordinary americans, a chance encounter with a third, to further progress, seizing opportunity to make the extraordinary happen. Progress that set the stage for the Tuskegee Airmen and world war ii. Progress furthered by 1. 2 million African Americans who answered the call to serve their nation. Some were Tuskegee Airmen, some were in the infantry and army units. But the vast majority served in supportive roles in transportation, in mess halls, on ships, moving cargo and ports. Matter of fact, my grandfather was among those moving cargo and ports, supervising 1500 men, loading and unloading ships in hawaii and saipan. He and all the other africanamericans played a vital role in winning the war. Despite segregation, despite not having the same opportunities afforded to other americans, when the nation called, they showed their puritanism and their worth world war ii they showed their patriotism and their worth. World war ii gave us the greatest generation. Ordinary americans doing extraordinary things. Taking advantage of new opportunities, because ordinary americans made progress possible. Because of ordinary americans, we can now celebrate americans from all corners of our nation coming together, bringing a rich diversity, serving our nation, and leading at the highest levels of government. Working towards a promise found in our nations founding documents. The nation has seen americans like colin powell, the first africanamerican chairman of the joint chiefs and the first africanamerican secretary of state. The dacian saw general chappy james to come the first africanamerican fourstar general in the u. S. Air force, whose picture hangs just outside the office and the pentagon. The nation watched Michelle Howard become the first woman to command the United States navy ship and the first to obtain a fourstar rank in the navy. And the nation has embraced our current secretary of defense, the honorable lloyd austin iii. Where we celebrate these many other leaders, executive order 9981 didnt provide extraordinary opportunities for leadership only in the armed forces, but also opportunities for americans to serve and do great things beyond their service in uniform. Americans like the honorable john allen, who went from attending segregated schools to fighting fighter jets in vietnam. He left the air force in 1973, gained a large degree and rose to be a superior court judge, serving for another 23 years. From growing up in a segregated school, to serving his neck nation in and out of uniform, and ordinary american with extraordinary opportunities, next to executive order 9981. Joseph munro, one of the first africanamericans to earn a phd in computer science, and the first to be a professor at the u. S. Air force academy. After his service, he became a distinguished college professor, giving back to historically black colleges and universities. In ordinary american with extraordinary opportunity to educate the next generation, all thanks to executive order 9981. Lonnie johnson, an engineer who served in the air force and with nassau. What he may be most known for after his service was when he invented the super soccer. [laughter] something many of you may have expressed either soaking someone else or being soaked his invention. [laughter] he had over 100 patents for revolutionary technology. Thanks to extraordinary opportunities only possible through this executive order 981. Mcdougall joined the air force out of high school where she worked on the sr 71 and pressure suits. She went on to nasa to work on spacesuits. She would work in the escape Equipment Department until it ended. Charles baldwin, dr. Bernard harris. An ordinary american with an extraordinary ability to drive space exploration, and opportunity made possible by executive order 981. All ordinary americans who had extraordinary opportunities due to the steps taken in 1948. Their stories in the stories of other americans are the real legacy of the executive order. Teachers, doctors, scientists, leaders in business, nonprofit workers, community leaders, elected officials. Members that have served and gone on to other careers that have shaped america and driven progress. Sometimes, you do not see it. Look around at what so many have accomplished. These are examples for the next generation to follow. They inspire the next generation to take on the challenges of their own and change things to make america better. To do that, they must hear, they must see, not just the ones highlighted today but the many ordinary americans that have extraordinary opportunities to do great things for our nation. They have to see it. Young people only aspire to be what they see. None of us decide to grow up to be something weve never seen before, that we did not know anything about. There is a reason i am here today. I aspire to be what i can see. When i was in high school as i my father was a retired army colonel, my father said quote the military will not hurt you. Im at 38 and still counting. It was the aspect of he encouraged me he taught after a second tour in vietnam. That is when i got the quote. And he encouraged me to use scholarships to pay my way through school, so i applied for all three, army, navy air force. I got selected for all three. I elected to not go to the navy interview because i knew i did not want to be in the navy. I was given a scholarship for the air force and the army. I was pursuing a degree in architecture and civil engineering. I wanted to go back to texas, i graduated high school in virginia and my dad knew how the assignment process worked in the army. He said if you go to the army there is no guarantee you will be in the engineer. Go into the air force and they will make you an engineer, so i went into the air force. And i almost quit after my first semester and when i came home at christmas and talked to my dad he gave me advice. All you got to do is go to class and go to lab. Thats what i did and i was on the drill team. Then i went to summer camp, we went down to the air force base and got a ride in an aircraft. The parachute, the helmet, god, that was fun. I am competitive so i looked around at the other people. So that is what happened. I got a slot in my senior year and so the four years thing did not quite work out. I was planning on moving back to texas and i never did. Never been to texas in my 38 years. So when i reflect on my career, i know i have been truly blessed. I am very humble when i am out and about. It happened even to me at last nights event. People approach me and tell me i am an inspiration. And what goes through my mind is really . I am just c. Q. Brown junior. An ordinary american provided extraordinary opportunities, opportunities provided by executive order 9981. It allowed me to be the first africanamerican in the military. And to be nominated to be the next chairman of the joint chiefs. Remember, i was only going to do for years. So i asked who inspired you to select your chosen profession . For those who serve in uniform, who inspired you to go into the armed forces . Who inspired you to serve the greater good of our nation . More importantly, what are we all doing to inspire the next generation . We must show the next generation opportunities. By showing the stories of those who got us here. Those who accomplish the extraordinary. It is stories like those shared during this symposium that continue to inspire the next generation and further the legacy of change. As this symposium comes to a close, we must reflect how far we have, as a nation. James hamlett, infantry officer in the segregated 92nd Infantry Division in world war ii and an army aviator in vietnam, said in his retirement ceremony, i was not allowed to lead a squad to the latrine. We have come a long way. We have come a long way, indeed. Today we celebrate progress only possible due to courageous leaders seizing the opportunity that made possible so many extraordinary achievements. As we look forward, you must remember that progress is a constant in our free society. I hope that one day progress will mean there will be celebrated. We are celebrating each others achievements as fellow americans. That future becoming a reality is in large part thanks to the opportunities five years ago. They ensure the next great generation will be stronger than the last. Because today, americans from all backgrounds are working together to move our nation forward. 25, 50, 75 years from now, celebrating the 150th anniversary, may we all reflect on the progress we continue to make. And we repeat the words of joe hamlin. We have come a long way because of executive order 99 81 making it possible for ordinary americans to have so many extraordinary opportunities. Thank you for allowing me to be here as part of this historic symposium. It has been my distinct honor. Thank you. [applause] tonight, ways to combat human trafficking, how to spot it into supporting those directly affected by it. We will hear from human rights advocates, state and federal representatives and leaders from the business sector. Hosted by the u. S. Chamber of congress. Watch at 9 p. M. Eastern on cspan, cspan now, our free mobile video app or online at cspan. Org. Healthy democracy does not just look like this. It looks like this. Where americans can see democracy at work. A republic thrives