Thirty-four cadets at West Point, the U.S. Army’s military academy, will make history as they graduate next week. This year’s graduating class boasts more African American women than ever.
It’s part of a trend for the academy, which has made diversity a point of emphasis in recent years. The school welcomed its first black superintendent, Lt. Gen. Daryl Williams, last year. In 2017, Simone Askew became the academy’s first black woman to lead the chain of command for her fellow cadets.
According to the school, last year’s graduating class of 972 included 193 women, 105 African Americans, 78 Hispanic Americans, and 180 cadets of Asian or Pacific island descent.
“[T]his year’s class will have the highest number of female Hispanic graduates along with graduating our 5,000th female cadet since the first class of women to graduate in 1980,” West Point spokesperson Frank Demaro told CNN.
Demaro added that this year’s record for black female graduates may not hold; West Point expects even more to graduate next year.
