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Despite Pact, Few Blacks at Coast Guard School

WASHINGTON — Eight years after the U.S. Coast Guard and the NAACP signed a voluntary agreement to work together to boost the number of African Americans at its 1,000-cadet service academy, the annual enrollment and graduation figures for Blacks remain in single digits.

Seven Blacks graduated from the academy based in New London, Conn., in the spring of 2001, the year the agreement was signed.

The same number graduated from the Class of 2006, the first class for which Blacks were recruited under the agreement.

Subsequently, there were seven Black graduates in 2007, five in 2008 and four in 2009.

That makes 23 graduates in four years under the agreement, including the academy's first Black female valedictorian. In the four previous years the number was 33.                                                                                  
Leading lawmakers have grown increasingly upset with results even as they repeatedly are told the Guard is working hard to improve diversity in a service where only 311 of its 6,787 commissioned officers are Black, with only one Black admiral.

The Coast Guard has just not paid attention to it. It is not antipathy or animosity toward it," said Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee. "I think we're moving in the right direction and got the Coast Guard's attention and we're not going to let up.

Under a House bill, sponsored by Oberstar and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the Coast Guard subcommittee chairman, members of Congress would nominate candidates for the academy. All the other service academies have long used congressional nominations.

On a 385-11 vote last month, the House advanced the legislation to the Senate.

The Coast Guard Academy historically has taken pride in viewing itself merit-based and choosing its applicants without regard to their geographical distribution among the states.
 
Cummings, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, expects Black enrollment to grow with congressional involvement, at least in part because the House typically has about 40 Black lawmakers who would be effective recruiters in largely Black congressional districts.

The Coast Guard's position on the bill has been rather subdued.

The academy's superintendent, Rear Adm. J. Scott Burhoe, likes the existing "merit-based system," but would be "fine" if Congress adopted congressional nominations.

I think for us part of our fear is the unknown, really, right now," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Coast Guard Academy graduated its first Black officer in 1966. In the 43 years since, only about 2 percent of the academy's graduates have been Black and only once has there been as many as 10 in a single year.

Two years ago, the academy drew national attention when a noose was found among a Black cadet's personal effects on a Coast Guard vessel. That was followed with the appearance of a noose for a white officer who was conducting race relations training at the academy.

Cummings said at the time that the Coast Guard must redouble its efforts in the face of a clear attempt to threaten and intimidate efforts to increase diversity.

An investigation involving 50 federal agents including the FBI produced no arrests or motives.

At present, the academy reports it has 136 minorities, with 72 Hispanics, 39 Asians and 25 African Americans.

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