Former VA Secretary Robert Wilkie faces several allegations of mishandling sexual misconduct claims as well as allegations of perpetuating a culture of racism at the VA. (Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense)
Black veterans have been “purposefully and systematically marginalized” by the Department of Veterans Affairs for decades, said the head of a Black veterans organization on Tuesday.
Black Veterans Project filed three separate Freedom of Information Act requests on Feb. 12 to different arms of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While the FOIA requests only seek out data on said racial disparities going back 20 years, Black Veterans Project co-founder and Executive Director Richard Brookshire says the problems have existed far longer. In a Feb. 23 press release he said that since VA’s inception, “Intentional obstruction alongside a culture of complicity with respect to racial discrimination within VA continues to lock black veterans of all generations out of the benefits they have earned.”
The BVP press release also cites a Feb. 1 New York Times op-ed authored by journalist Jasper Craven, ‘Mind Boggling’ and ‘Deadly.’ This Is the Trump V.A.’s Racist Legacy, which collects a group of independent studies and personal accounts of black veterans and VA workers highlighting unequal treatment. Among the evidence was a study that found black veterans were 13% less likely to receive VA services for PTSD than any other veteran group.
Last September, the Government Accountability Office announced that it would be investigating previous claims of systematic racism at the VA; however, that investigation has yet to formally begin.
Since then, newly-elected President Joe Biden has appointed new leadership at the VA as is typical of a new administration, but there has been little comment from either the President’s Office or new VA leadership aside from a brief comment that the VA will prioritize better service for all veterans.
About Black Veterans Project
Black Veterans Project is part of the veterans organization Black Veterans Empowerment Council, which recently penned an open letter to President Biden asking for increased diversity in positions of power in the VA, and advocates for equal treatment of black veterans in the military justice system, in obtaining VA benefits, and by public education.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
