Is Pete Hegseth Racist?
The Firings of Black and Women Officers
I don’t like Pete Hegseth, and until proven otherwise, I think he’s a racist — and a sexist to boot. He has also been accused of cronyism and incompetence. His ouster of over a dozen high ranking officers has raised concerns regarding the loss of expertise and the potential for politicization within the armed forces. The removal of these officials has sparked debates about the implications for military effectiveness and national security. Critics argue that these changes may lead to a military that is more aligned with political agendas rather than operational expertise. Amid all these firings Hegseth is trying to circumvent protocol to get one of his senior military aides on the promotion list or to get him promoted. However, Capt. William Francis Jr., a Navy SEAL serving as Hegseth’s assistant, could not be reviewed by the promotion board because he did not meet certain criteria, such as heading a major command.
So Hegseth is striving to get promoted an aide deemed unqualified while firing or blocking promotions of blacks and women that have passed the scrutiny of promotion boards. One could argue that Hegseth has ousted white male officers too like General Randy George but what is the explanation of blocking promotions of blacks and women? It is though that despite the review of the promotion boards, Hegseth is assuming that all the black and women promotions are based on DEI and not on merit.
Is Hegseth racist? Well the firings of top-ranked black and women officers along with the vetoing of promotions is exhibit one. Exhibit two, is a new directive on facial hair. Facial hair, yes — facial hair but I’ll start with the firings, which frankly feel personal. Hegseth fired Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, who happens to be from Fort Valley, Georgia — home to my mother’s alma mater, Fort Valley State University. He also fired the Army’s chief of chaplains, Gen. William Green, a graduate of my father’s alma mater, Savannah State University. Since his confirmation last year, Hegseth has fired or sidelined more than 20 flag officers, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown, a black, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as Chief of Naval Operations.
He has also blocked the appointment of nine Air Force colonels, delayed the promotions of at least two dozen more senior officers, and blocked eight Navy captains from advancing to one-star admiral — leaving an all-white, all-male slate of 22 officers as the remaining nominees.
This is unusual behavior for a Pentagon chief, since promotions are the product of independent military boards. Under U.S. law, only the president can strike a recommended officer from a promotion list. The defense secretary can recommend a name be removed for cause, but that recommendation must go to the president in writing. It isn’t clear whether Hegseth has actually followed that process. These promotion lists go through a rigorous process and the scrutiny of two separate boards. Hegseth appears to have overridden a merit-based system without offering any real explanation — conduct that may itself be unlawful. I find myself wondering why no one has sued him over it.
Separately, Hegseth has delayed the promotion of at least two dozen one-star Air Force officers to two-star rank while the Pentagon reviews their past ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. It’s worth remembering that any DEI compliance by these officers was a product of the prior administration’s policy — they were simply following orders. Rather than overriding the promotion boards’ recommendations outright, Hegseth could have waited to see how these officers responded to the new orders eliminating DEI. As one critic put it, the military shouldn’t be “punished for implementing orders on diversity when Biden was president” for simply carrying out the lawful directives of the administration in power at the time.
The Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic Women’s Caucus jointly condemned the removal of black and female officers from one-star promotion lists as “outrageous” and deeply concerning, arguing that the pattern shows the administration “attacking and undermining black people and women in the military, public servants, and women in power.” The caucuses said the officers being targeted deserve support, not removal, at a time when the country needs qualified leadership at home and abroad. It’s hard to imagine this isn’t devastating for the morale of black and women servicemembers across the ranks.
Gen. Brown himself has pushed back publicly, warning that the officers being pushed out or struck from promotion lists are highly experienced and that the process underway “is not about merit.” The irony is hard to miss, a former fighter pilot, Brown was nominated in 2020 by Trump during his first term to serve as the Air Force’s chief of staff. Trump took credit for nominating the “first-ever African-American military service chief.” Trump added in a social-media post back then that Brown was “a Patriot and Great Leader!”
The Shaving Directive
Then there’s the shaving directive, reported by Stars and Stripes, which says the Navy will now separate sailors with medical shaving conditions after a year of failed treatment. Have you ever wondered why so many black men wear beards? It is because of razor bumps — a painful skin irritation from shaving that worsens when the ingrown hairs and bumps themselves get nicked by a blade. I know it only too well.
Hegseth’s new policy eliminates the Navy’s waiver process for the condition, known medically as pseudofolliculitis barbae.
Stars and Stripes: Navy guidance on shaving waivers
Under the new guidance, affected sailors get one year of medical treatment to meet the Navy’s clean-shaven standard; if they still can’t comply after that year, they’re to be classified as having an “unmanageable permanent condition” and recommended for separation from the service for failing to meet grooming standards.
Pseudofolliculitis barbae disproportionately affects black men — an estimated 60 percent may experience it, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, since the condition is closely tied to naturally curlier facial hair that curls back into the skin after shaving. Sailors who keep beards for religious reasons will still need a waiver too, though it isn’t clear whether their waivers will carry the same one-year time limit that now applies to sailors with the medical condition.
This, too, strikes me as outrageous — and blatantly racist.
haroldblackphd.com 
I seriously doubt that DOW Hegseth is either sexist or racist. More likely the policies used since Clinton to favor promotions are being rolled back. Blame Trump for these policies not Hegseth. Trump’s policies are likely being flowed down thru all cabinets and Hegseth serves at Trump’s pleasure. Recruiting success is at a 15 year high.
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I actually talked with some retired military including a general before I wrote this. The crucial piece is the two review boards that recommend the promotions. They are asserted to be based on merit. BTW I don’t think that recruiting success is particularly relevant here in the discussion of promotion to flag rank. I think the evidence is overwhelming that Hegseth is both racist and sexist. Again I invite you to prove me wront on this specific point.
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OK.
Percentage of Black senior officers is 6.5%.
Percentage of Registered Black Engineers is 4.5%
Percentage of Black Doctors is 6.7%
Percentage of Black Lawyers is 6%
Percentage of full Black Professors is 3%. Number of college staff is ~7-8%
Data pulled from Copilot:
Senior leadership
Service‑level variation
🧭 Why the percentage matters
The U.S. military has long had much higher Black representation in enlisted ranks than in officer pipelines. The ~9% officer figure highlights:
If you want, I can break this down by branch, rank, or officer accession source (Academy vs. ROTC vs. OCS) to show where the bottlenecks actually occur.
Current percentage of Black Professional Engineers
The most current, well‑sourced figure is that Black professional engineers make up roughly 4.5% of employed engineers and scientists in the United States**, according to the National Society of Black Engineers’ synthesis of the National Center for Science & Engineering Statistics (NCSES) and the National Survey of College Graduates.
That 4.5% number is the broad, cross‑discipline engineering figure — not just one specialty.
Below is a breakdown by engineering field using the same dataset.📊 Black representation across engineering specialties (latest available)
These numbers come from the NCSES National Survey of College Graduates (2021) and Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation‑specific demographic reporting (2025–2026).🧩 Context: Why the percentage is low
This pipeline bottleneck directly drives the low share of Black professional engineers.If you want, I can also break down:
Current Percentage of Black doctors
The most current, well‑supported range is that Black doctors make up between 5.2% and 6.7%** of all practicing physicians in the United States.**
Here’s the breakdown from the sources we just pulled:
Across all sources, the consistent finding is:
📊 Why the percentage varies slightly (5.2%–6.7%)
Different organizations measure different things:
When averaged, the most defensible “current” figure is ~6% Black physicians.🧭 If you want deeper detail
I can break this down by:
Just tell me which angle you want.
Percentage of Black Lawyers is
The most current, well‑supported estimate is that Black lawyers make up roughly 6% of all U.S. lawyers.
This figure comes from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), which tracks demographic data across tens of thousands of attorneys nationwide.📊 Breakdown from the latest NALP dataOverall representation
By rank
Pipeline indicators
🧭 Interpretation
The ~6% figure reflects a persistent underrepresentation:
If you want, I can also break down:
or how this compares to Black representation in medicine, engineering, or military officer corps.
representation by firm size,
geographic differences,
trends over the last 20 years,
The current percentage of Black professors in the United States is between 7% and 8%**, depending on whether you look at all faculty or full professors specifically.🎯 Clear takeaway
So the best single “current” number is:
📊 Breakdown from the sources1. NCES (most authoritative federal dataset)
2. WorldMetrics 2026 (aggregated higher‑ed statistics)
3. GAO (Government Accountability Office)
7.1% of college faculty are Black
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Thanks.
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I don’t know if Hegseth is a racist – but I do know this: he is an idiot.
I used to sell shaving creams and implements years ago on the Old Spice brand. I learned of the facial condition you referenced for black men and recall alternative use of “depilatory techniques” that would strip the face of hair without the use of a razor (think of “Nair for the face). What I recall is consumers speaking of strong facial skin irritation and in some cases outright pain from use.
That is bad enough. But to think that our Sec of Defense (war, whatever…) would eliminate an otherwise honorable soldier or leader from service shows an ignorance that’s frankly – scary. Who would place their child or themselves into the service of such a buffoon? Who would follow that moron to the ends of the earth?
Racist? I don’t know if we can judge the man’s heart. But we can judge his actions. He’s just plain stupid.
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Your comment coupled with exhibit one points to racism. I know that all this meets the president’s approval. None of this is subtle.
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drummer has been holding back .
Who knew?..
Despite the stats, he can go to the Medal of Honor Museum- in Chattanooga, where the role of women and Blacks – and Whites – are well represented..
Remember the Hippie’s military recruiting slogan? : Join the military, go see the world – and kill people. That’s what Hegseth is promoting. And he wants a certain White-European empire-mentality to do this…
Damage to the soldiers—as citizens, as humans— is not a cause he will embrace. And no Admin has ever cared for soldiers.
My uncle was bed ridden after WWII, returning fm the Pacific and dumped on his parents. He did recover..
My uncle won an award for service in Vietnam. And was featured on TV during a battle…
He had a long career in steel. And then one day said” I can’t face another day” and killed himself..
Both White and considered their service to be their greatest contribution to America..
Equality is not self- evident. And won’t be resolved by the government- esp the military. Or Congress. Equality takes The People..
With drummer stats, I’d say DEI has its place..
One more thing: I tried that “alternative use of “depilatory techniques””. Because I never look like I’ve shaved..
Applied the paste; didn’t understand that the idea was to burn the whiskers off. Now I do .
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Interesting comments as always. Thanks Larry. I appreciate your comments – and drummer’s too.
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