Black History Month may have been several months ago, but there is one person who recently joined the ranks to be mentioned among many others for breaking barriers—and his name is Michael E. Langley. It was just confirmed via a vote in the U.S. Senate, that Michael E. Langley is now the first Black four-star Marine General, making him the first Black man to achieve the esteemed honor in the 246-year history of the Marines.
@NBCNews reports, earlier this week the Senate made it official courtesy of a formal vote to promote Lieutenant General Michael E. Langley to a four-star Marine General, which has earned him the title of being the very first Black man in the history of the Marines to hold the title. Langley will formally receive his promotion at a formal ceremony on August 6thin Washington, D.C., which is set to be followed by Langley heading straight to work where he will command all U.S. military forces in Africa and overseeing an estimated 6,000 troops.
President Joe Biden previously nominated Michael E. Langley back in June to lead the United States Africa Command. During his confirmation hearing last month, Langley explained that he agreed with the Senate that Russia’s increasing influence in distressed portions of Africa will be among his top priorities in his new position. The Senate also expressed to Langley how crucial diplomacy and military expertise will be to succeeding in his new job, and he quickly agreed.
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You may recall that in November 2021, the Marine Corps implemented new initiatives to improve diversity and retention, including launching an extensive plan labeled Talent Management—and Michael E. Langley proves that the long-standing military branch is taking steps in the right direction.
According to a diversity report from July 2021, racial and gender bias were a top priority for the Marines. “It is a critical part of the conversation — to know that real examples of racial and gender bias exist in our Corps — 75 plus years after the Service was integrated,” the report read.
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