Gen #CQBrown spoke of how most of his mentors could not relate to his experience as a #Black man. He spoke of wondering whether airmen who have not had similar experiences “don’t see #racism as a problem because it doesn’t happen to them, or whether they’re empathetic.”

Gen Brown finished by talking about the weight he felt as the first African American nominated to be chief of the #AirForce. #Trump had nominated him for that position, on Esper’s recommendation.

Gen #CQBrown limited his words to his own experience, & reflected on the other world in which he lived, the #Black one. “I’m thinking about being a captain at the O Club w/my squadron, & being told by other African Americans that I wasn’t Black enough, since I was spending more time with my squadron than with them.”

At the time,~43% of the 1.3M men & women on active duty were people of color, but nearly all of the people…at the top were white & male. In a photo taken in Oct 2019, #Trump was surrounded by his top 4-star generals, a sea of white faces,…the top commanders who led an otherwise diverse institution.
In his vid, Gen #CQBrown continued: “I’m thinking about wearing the same flight suit, w/the same wings on my chest as my peers, & then being questioned by another #military member, ‘are you a pilot.’”

Gen #CQBrown spoke of “living in 2 worlds, both w/their own perspectives & views.” He described what those worlds were like for him. He & his sister were the only #Black children at his elementary school, he said, & they tried to fit in. In their HS, half of the students were Black & they still tried to fit in.

“I’m thinking about my #AirForce career, where I was often the only African American in my squadron, or, as a senior officer, the only African American in the room,” he said.
#USpol #law

For 4½ mins, Gen #CQBrown spoke, in stark terms, about his life as an African American fighter pilot.
“I’m thinking about how full I am with, with emotion, not just for #GeorgeFloyd, but the many African Americans that suffered the same fate as George Floyd,” he said, a…tremor his voice. “I’m thinking about protests in my country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, the equality expressed in our declaration of independence, in the Constitution, that I’ve sworn my adult life to support & defend.”

Against a dark background, a solemn Gen #CQBrown, clad in fatigues, stared into the camera, & said this: “As the commander of Pacific Air Forces, & a senior leader in our #AirForce, & an African American, many of you may be wondering what I’m thinking about the current events surrounding the tragic death of #GeorgeFloyd,” Gen Brown began. “Here’s what I’m thinking about.”

Gen #CQBrown would later say in an interview that one of his two sons asked him: “What is Pacific Air Forces going to say?” As the commander of #PacificAirForces, Gen Brown said he knew that was code for “Dad, what are you going to say?”

Gen #CQBrown electrified the #military rank & file on June 4, 2020, when as Pacific Air Forces commander, he released his 4-min video, which he called, simply, “What I’m thinking about.”

On the streets of some cities, #BlackLivesMatter protests were raging over the killing of #GeorgeFloyd by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed & lay dying facedown.

#PeteHegseth, #Trump’s new #defense secy, had questioned whether Gen #CQBrown was selected as the #JointChiefs chair because he was Black & said on a podcast in Nov that he should be fired over the #military’s #diversity efforts.
In his book,Hegseth wrote of Brown’s promotion:“Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt—which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter.”

And after #Trump returned to power, #Milley’s & #Esper’s portraits were removed from the walls of the #Pentagon.

It is unclear whether Gen #CQBrown will get a portrait of his 1 year & 4 months as the #JointChiefs chair. Trump has not publicly criticized Gen Brown, whom he is seeking to replace w/the retired 3-star Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, another fighter pilot.

In the 4-min video, Gen #CQBrown reflected on his experiences as an African American pilot in the Air Force.

The killing of #GeorgeFloyd also blew up the relationship between #Trump & General Brown’s predecessor, Gen. Mark A. #Milley.