U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Luis Burgos, Air Force Sgt. Nancy Hunt and U.S. Army Sgt Chris Tomlinson at Bad Aibling Station's Army Ball at Prien-am-Chiemsee, Germany, on Nov. 9, 1989. The Army celebrated its diversity by observing Black History Month until new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth cancelled it this year.

Former U.S. Army Spc. Chris Tomlinson, center, serves in a diverse honor guard at a change-of-command ceremny at Ft. Hood, Texas in 1984. The Army celebrated its diversity by observing Black History Month until new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth cancelled it this year.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and every other unqualified white man flailing in positions of power are the reasons why we need diversity, equity and inclusion programs to create a meritocratic culture.

Hegseth’s ban on Black History Month and other efforts to hire and promote the most deserving Americans is on-brand. Without President Donald Trump’s good ol’ boy hiring policy, Hegseth and half the cabinet would be relegated to middle management.

I despaired when Hegseth banned so-called “identity months” to prevent the Department of Defense from celebrating African American contributions to the nation’s freedom. When I served in the Army in the 1980s, Black History Month was one of my favorite times of the year.

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At my final assignment in Germany, the base had a community theater group, and we’d put on extravaganzas and plays, including “The Meeting,” a fictional conversation between Malcolm X and the Rev. Martin Luther King.

Most of us........

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