WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 400 books wey U.S. Naval Academy library don return to the shelves after latest Pentagon review. Dis review come as part of di military’s effort to remove materials related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Defense officials tell The Associated Press say about 20 books still dey check, dis include some wey dem no identify during last month purge wey remove 381 books. Few dozen books from Air Force libraries, including di Air Force Academy, also dey under review.
Di ongoing back-and-forth over book removals show di kind problem wey dey since di early days of di Trump administration, wey make dem dey revise orders and policy adjustments because dem vague and poorly defined.
Di current review na part of di broad efforts from di Trump administration to clear out DEI content from federal agencies. Earlier dis month, Pentagon issue detailed directive to military leaders to pull and review all library books wey dey address issues of diversity, anti-racism, and gender by Wednesday. Dis directive come with more specific search words than di first guidance.
In statement wey di Navy release on Wednesday, dem confirm say dem don review library collections for all di military educational institutions to comply with directives, adding say materials don dey identified and sequestered. Di Army and di Air Force also carry out their own reviews.
All di services libraries don provide new lists of books to Pentagon leaders. Dem go receive additional guidance on how to manage di lists if necessary, and to check what suppose dey permanently removed. According to a memo from di Defense Department, di review go also determine di way forward for dem materials.
Di memo from May 9, signed by Timothy Dill, acting deputy defense undersecretary for personnel, no talk wetin go happen to di books or if dem go just store am or destroy am. Di libraries for military academies and other commands don remove educational materials wey dey promote “divisive concepts and gender ideology” because e no align with di Defense Department’s mission.
A temporary Academic Libraries Committee dey oversee di review process, providing list of search terms to guide di selection of which books to pull for review. Some of di search terms include: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender identity, transgender, and white privilege.
Di U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, remove 381 books from di library early April after receiving order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to get rid of those wey promote DEI. Dis purge cause removal of important books including histories of feminism, civil rights, and Maya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
Books like “Memorializing the Holocaust,” “Half American,” and “A Respectable Woman” also join di list. Di Navy on Wednesday no fit confirm which books don return to library or if dem go keep popular titles pulled.
About two weeks after di Naval Academy purge, di Army and Air Force libraries also dey instructed to comb through their collections to find and remove DEI-related books. Throughout dis process, military service leaders don request for more detailed guidance on wetin books suppose go, as di initial order to di Naval Academy no clear.
Dill’s memo provide di needed clarity, same way directives about reinstating troops wey dey discharged for refusing di COVID-19 vaccine and removing transgender service members still dey evolve due to need for clearer instructions. Defense leaders done dey refine and reissue orders to make sure dem dey legally and accurately implement di requests.
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