Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins set out to change Virginia Military Institute, but the Good Old Boys have had enough.
When he took command of Virginia Military Institute six months after the murder of George Floyd — and five months ahead of a blistering report on rampant racism and sexism at the institution — Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, a retired Army commander, had a difficult mission: take on an entrenched, racist “good old boy” culture at the nation’s oldest state-funded military college.
Wins, a Black man leading a school whose cadets fought and died for the Confederacy, won some uphill battles, including removing a prominent statue of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. But VMI’s powerful alumni network of white politicians and businessmen counterattacked, criticizing Wins for moving the 185-year-old school too far left.
RELATED: White House Suspends Chief Education Data Commissioner
Last month, Wins lost the war. The VMI board — stocked with hand-picked allies of Virginia Gov. Glenn Younkin, a conservative Republican with apparent presidential aspirations — overwhelmingly voted against renewing his contract.
Black stories matter
Stay up-to-date on reporting that amplifies the stories, voices, and perspectives of Black America.
- Health
- Education
- Word In Black Weekly
- Climate Justice
- Finance
- Religion
Sign up
“Abrupt and Unjustifiable Action”
Now, as a group of Black and progressive VMI alumni rally to his defense, Wins says his dismissal stems from the board’s “partisan” decision that walks past his hard-won accomplishments, including an increase in both state funding and enrollment. And an officer of the VMI Keydet Club, an alumni organization, has stepped down in protest.
#RacialJustice #MilitaryReform #Leadership
