A top official at the Air Force Academy apologized for “microaggressions” that appeared in a school-wide email on haircut standards amid backlash to a reference to NBA great Michael Jordan.
Cadets received the email on Wednesday from Master Sgt. Zachary Parish commenting on haircuts that did not meet the Academy’s standards and cast a “negative impression” on the “cadet population and armed service members at large.”
Parish went on draw a comparison to Jordan.
“He was never seen with a gaudy chain around his neck, his pants below his waistline, or with a backwards baseball hat on during public appearances,” the email read.
A number of cadets saw the sergeant’s reference as a derogatory dig at African-Americans, stirring controversy on campus in Colorado, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Vice-commandant of cadets, Col. Julian Stevens, sent an apology on behalf of the academy for the “inappropriate” comments, explaining they were “no way reflective” of the Air Force Academy.
Stevens also referred to Parish’s comments as “microaggressions.”
“Microagressions such as these are often blindspots/unintentional biases that are not often recognized, and if they are recognized they are not always addressed,” Stevens wrote.
