WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) – The U.S. Military Academy has launched an inquiry into a photo showing 16 black, female cadets in uniform with their fists raised. The image has spurred questions about whether the gesture violates military restrictions on political activity.
Spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker said Saturday that West Point is looking into whether any rules were broken.
By campus tradition, seniors often take group photos in traditional uniforms to echo historical portraits of cadets. But the women’s raised fists led some observers to question whether they were expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement and breaching rules against “partisan political activity” in uniform.
Mary Tobin, a West Point alumna who knows the students, says they were simply celebrating their forthcoming graduation as a shared accomplishment, like a winning team raising helmets.