Jennie Brooks, host of the Unstoppable Together podcast chats with Carlton Reid, a Booz Allen Senior Associate and a retired Army field artillery and nuclear research operations officer. Listen as they discuss the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the US military and federal workforce. In this episode they discuss the history behind the executive orders (EOs) that brought about this significant milestone, how these EOs personally shaped Carl's life and career, and what the anniversary means to him. For more information on the 75th anniversary and events taking place during the 2023 calendar year, visit: https://freedomtoserve75th.org/
Jennie Brooks:
Welcome to Booz Allen Hamilton's Unstoppable Together Podcast, a series of stories that unite us and empower each of us to change the world. I'm Jennie Brooks with Booz Allen Hamilton, and I'm passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please join me in conversation with the diverse group of thought leaders to explore what makes them and all of us unstoppable. Hello everyone, and welcome to The Unstoppable Together Podcast. I'm Jennie Brooks, and today, I'm excited to be joined by Carlton Reed. Carl is a Booz Allen senior associate, who works in the counter weapons of mass destruction practice. He's also a retired army field artillery and nuclear research operations officer. Carl commanded the 17th Field Artillery Brigade in Iraq and led arms control inspection teams to Russia and Ukraine. Carl, welcome to the podcast.
Carlton Reed:
Thank you. Great to be here.
Jennie Brooks:
I am excited to speak with you today, and I am very inspired by your bio. So thank you for joining us. The backdrop of our conversation today is the Women's Integration Act of 1948 and also, President Truman's Executive Orders 9980 and 9981, which desegregated the federal workforce and the military. And this year is the 75th anniversary of those important milestones. Tell us a little bit more about this.
Carlton Reed:
Thank you. Well, as you know, our country began with the practice of slavery, and we went through reconstruction, the Civil War, designed to restructure our society with varying degrees of success. As a result, our military and federal service were segregated, which meant, basically, that there was fear about African-Americans and also, some question about whether or not they would be courageous in battle. So they were separated. And President Wilson also came into office and segregated the federal workforce. So it wasn't until 75 years ago that President Truman saw what was happening in the country and realized that a change had to happen. It was in part because he was functioning as a commander in chief, and as the commander in chief, he saw these returning veterans experiencing harm from fellow citizens after fighting for our nation. And that was just too much for him. So those things prompted him to get on board with the growing civil rights movement and make these decisions.
Jennie Brooks:
Tell us a little bit more about that, because some people think that President Truman might not have been a likely champion for this issue. But there was a tragic incident with a World War II veteran that really spurred him into action.
Carlton Reed:
Yes, no, that's a great question. I also recently learned that President Truman, his family was on the side of the Confederacy, and when he was in office, he actually called his mother an unreconstructed Confederate. So not the most likely candidate, but it really was identifying as a commander in chief that really changed his heart. And there was a Sergeant Isaac Woodard in particular, who was beaten and blinded by police while in custody with a billy club, and that made the papers. And that was the galvanizing event, much in the same way as George Floyd murder wasn't the only one, but it galvanized public opinion and led to change.
Jennie Brooks:
So how did these two executive orders ultimately become the law of the land as we know it today?
Carlton Reed:
Yeah. It wasn't until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that these all became permanent. The Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation in businesses, such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels, and banned discriminatory practices in employment. The Civil Rights Act was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since reconstruction.
Jennie Brooks:
Tell me about the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948.
Carlton Reed:
Yeah, so women's roles were very, very limited to mostly nursing in the military. And of course, that was very limiting. You could never really fully express all of your capabilities, talents, and desires. And so, what the Integration Act did is it expanded the roles that women could actually fill, that were actually needed.
Jennie Brooks:
This act was approved before the executive orders were signed?
Carlton Reed:
Yes. I think it was a month ahead of time, in June, and it's only recently that women have been allowed to enter the ranks of certain combat arms. That's very recent. So started a process. I think that's the best way to describe it. It started a process, where we looked at and evaluated and expanded the roles of women to where we are today.
Jennie Brooks:
When you reflect on your service, what are these executive orders and other galvanizing movements, like the Civil Rights Act, what do they mean to you and your military experience?
Carlton Reed:
Well, they were all important in my personal story. My father graduated from West Virginia State College. He was commissioned in the artillery in 1957. And as a result, I grew up in an integrated world, which meant I had opportunities. The military had the benefit of a chain of command and the uniform code of military justice, and people take orders. And so, even if people's hearts hadn't changed, there was some limits as to what they could do to harm you. And so, I grew up in a society that had opportunity for people to get to know one another and to begin to trust each other. And so, that meant I never felt like I was ever disenfranchised in any way, because I grew up in the military. And that was because my dad served 20 years as an officer in the Army.
Jennie Brooks:
And then, when you think about your role and your time with Booz Allen in our case, how does that change? What do the executive orders mean to you in your time as a consultant in industry to the United States government?
Carlton Reed:
So one of the things that happened as I approached retirement was I realized that the world wasn't as perfect as my childhood. I had begun to see things and become disturbed by them. We had incidents in our own family. My brother had a terrible incident up in Cambridge, but I was somehow able to isolate that. But I watched those incidents just grow in number and familiarity with them, and I was a little concerned as I was beginning to exit this world, this little cocoon that I've enjoyed. And so, when it came time to choosing a company to work for, one of the things I loved about Booz Allen was their values. They were very similar to the army values that I learned and tried to teach in my units. And so, I felt that this was an extension of that great cocoon that I lived in.
But it also meant that, as these events grew in number, I felt like I needed to do something, that I was a beneficiary of the Civil Rights Movement. I was a beneficiary of these executive orders, and now, it was my turn to pay it forward. And Booz Allen gave me a wonderful place to start. You may recall that, after George Floyd's murder, our CEO, Horacio, conducted a town hall and then, encouraged his senior leaders to do the same. And while I was participating in a town hall, I was asked by a colleague about my experience, both in the military and at Booz Allen.
I told him it was great, but I also told him that not everybody's this great. And I told him about that incident about my brother that I previously had put in a box and realized it was now representative of what so many people have to go through. So Booz Allen gave me the opportunity to begin to do something about it, because shortly after that, I was introduced to the firm's DEI activities and got to be a part of a pro bono project to help one of our clients address these issues.
Jennie Brooks:
What would you like us to pull forward from this anniversary? The last segregated United States military units were officially disbanded in May of 1950, and that's just yesterday, for some folks. And for others coming through, they won't have been here in 1950. So what perspective is important for us to carry forward, do you think?
Carlton Reed:
Well, first, I'd like to say that it's something we need to celebrate. Our country is not perfect. It doesn't have a perfect past, but the fact that, 75 years ago, an unlikely president decided to take what was a courageous political act on his part and a noble act, he set in motion what eventually led to the changes that I enjoyed as a child and I believe have produced opportunities for lots and lots of people, not to least of which is Colin Powell, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, our current Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and our own Dennis Via. But I would also say that what we've learned from the last few years is that there's still a lot of work to be done. I'm a physicist, and one of the things we understand is this idea of the Fermi level. And the Fermi level is a concept that says that there's a thin layer on top that benefits the most. And the layers below don't...
Think of it like the sun warming the ocean. When you go deep down in the ocean, those water molecules don't feel much at all. They don't feel anything. That top layer does. And so, they get the heat and the warmth of the sun. As they evaporate, they make room for the next molecule to move up. And if you think of it, you could say our recent experience, the last 75 years, is kind of the Fermi level for civil rights and that I am one of the fortunate ones who were in that Fermi level and benefited from those policies. But we need to continue the work, so that those molecules down at the bottom of the ocean get to percolate up and fill those spaces and enjoy the warmth of the sun's rays.
Jennie Brooks:
I love that. I love that. Carl, at the end of every podcast, we give our guests some free space to share their final thoughts with those listening. What would you like to leave our listeners with today?
Carlton Reed:
Well, first, Booz Allen, as I said earlier, gave me an opportunity to give back. And I think, for everybody, I would just say, there's all kinds of opportunities to volunteer here at Booz Allen and to serve our government clients. And I would just encourage everybody to seek your passion and find a place to contribute. It will change your experience. It will make it more rich and more full. The second thing I would say is that all of 2023 is dedicated to the celebration of the 75th anniversary. At Booz Allen, we've got a really exciting opportunity to bring in some retired Booz Allen senior leaders, who lived much of those last 75 years, to come in and participate on a panel hosted by Dennis Via. There's also going to be another event where Booz Allen is going to support one of our clients, in November, where we will conduct sort of the capstone 75th anniversary with another executive panel that we will host. So a lot's coming up. Stay tuned. We'd love to have you participate.
Jennie Brooks:
That's fantastic. Thank you, Carl.
Carlton Reed:
Thank you.
Jennie Brooks:
Thanks for listening. Visit careers.boozallen.com to learn how you can be unstoppable with Booz Allen. Be the future. Work with us. The world can't wait.