“This is a time of tremendous change in this country,” said Juan Williams, senior correspondent at National Public Radio and a Fox News commentator. “The country is in a different place than it has ever been.”
Williams will be in Independence on Monday to moderate and serve as keynote speaker at the Harry S. Truman Library and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s Freedom to Serve Forum from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. inside the auditorium of the Truman Library.
The forum will commemorate the 61st anniversary of Truman’s signing of Executive Order 9981, a bill that ended racial segregation in the armed forces.
Williams said the order set the stage for change in America that manifested itself when Barack Obama was elected president in November.
“When we look at what Truman did – his willingness to go against what was socially acceptable at the time – he was willing to set the pace in this country of a willingness to change,” Williams said. “That really is one of the key moments of the 20th century.”
The forum is a series of panels who will explore the history and lessons learned of racial discrimination in the United States military. Panelists, including Maj. Gen. Vance Coleman, who was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery and served in the Korean War, will also examine gender discrimination and the ban on openly gay service members.
Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the SLDN, said the organization provides legal services for active and reserve members of the U.S. military. He added the group specifically provides services to armed forces members who are having problems with the military’s “dont ask, don’t tell” policy.
“There is a bill (H.R.1283) pending in Congress that would repeal and replace “don’t ask, don’t tell,”” Sarvis said. “Congress passed (the current policy) it, Congress owns it. The president can’t change it with an Executive Order, the Pentagon can’t change it. If congress has a new view 16 years later then that’s good and they can change it.”
Sarvis said Truman demonstrated courage and leadership by desegregating the military so that all qualified Americans could serve their country with full equality, adding today’s leaders can take encouragement from the example of Truman, who, during an election year, put justice and equality under the law before political expediency.
“It will be a good discussion on Monday,” Sarvis said. “I think it will be a very interesting day at the Truman Library.”
Discussion set for Monday at library
