Priorities? Defense Department dropped $91,000 on diversity seminars for the Air Force Band

The woke agenda permeating the United States military isn’t merely the pushing of progressive ideologies, it also appears to be an opportunity to pick winners and losers as a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contract revealed the choice for a U.S. Air Force diversity seminar was already a darling of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Under the direction of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Mark Milley, America has witnessed the accelerated indoctrination of service members through the sacrifice of millions of man-hours and at the cost of military preparedness. While pursuing the leftist expansion of diversity, inclusion and equity throughout the armed forces, the DOD has seen fit to finance special interests and, according to Fox News, that included nearly $100,000 to a Philadelphia, Pa., orchestra.

Tuesday, the outlet reported that on May 6, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, run by Maestro Jeri Lynne Johnson, had been awarded a contract of $91,000 through which they would run seminars on diversity and inclusion for the U.S. Air Force Band.

While details of how the spending would specifically be used were not provided, for the 184 active-duty members the program cost taxpayers nearly $500 a head supporting the Philadelphia-based orchestra whose stated mission “is to take the audience beyond spectatorship to participation in the musical experience by combining artistic excellence with cultural diversity and innovative community engagement.”

The orchestra’s website further states: “Black Pearl’s education and community engagement activities are unique because they offer audiences unprecedented and direct access to the musicians and conductor. These award-winning programs were created by Maestro Johnson who believes that giving audiences–regardless of their level of knowledge–the opportunity to reach into an art form for a more direct experience, is the best way to engage them.”

Black Pearl has routinely been favored for government handouts as shortly after they were awarded the DOD contract, that expires May 5, 2023, they were issued a grant from the NEA as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan “to support personnel and facilities expenses in response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The latest of the “numerous grants” they’ve been awarded from the NEA amounted to $100,000.

As previously reported, service members have grown increasingly concerned over the direction that leadership has taken the military with several speaking anonymously to Fox News Digital in October.

“I do perceive the Army leadership as woke, and probably the lower enlisted (they have been indoctrinated at school),” one member had expressed. “Equity-diversity is another way to divide and control the masses. It does nothing for the warfighter.”

“I 100% believe the military is woke. I see daily minorities, overweight people and women not adhering to military standards. Nobody corrects them due to the fear of being fired and labeled a racist or a sexist,” another offered.

“Merely questioning the goals or methods to promote ‘Equity & Diversity’ is punished and that punishment is swift, harsh, and public,” yet another service member said.

Meanwhile, a congressional review had found that over 6 million man-hours had been spent focused on seeking out extremism and tackling climate change, diversity, inclusion and equity training in roughly one year’s time since Biden took office.

At the same time, recruitment efforts failed to meet an already lowered target for fiscal year 2022, demonstrating precisely how misguided the focuses of progressive command have been.

Kevin Haggerty

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