‘Woke’ or Enlightened

By Bill Doughty

The updated Navy Professional Reading Program is a treasure trove of good books recommended by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith. Some titles are traditional favorites by Hornfischer, Stavridis, and Marlantes, to name a few; others are unexpected and fresh choices.

That’s why it’s a little bit surprising to see National Review take a potshot this week at the list, alleging that some of the titles, including Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist,” are “woke books” that “have no place in U.S. Navy training.” The National Review screed is by someone who writes under the pen name “Roger J. Maxwell.” 

Maxwell complains about the inclusion of Jason Pierceson’s “Sexual Minorities” and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” drawing more attention and interest in those authors and their views, even if readers don’t agree with everything they say. 

These books, along with several others on the list, reflect a more diverse and inclusive culture.

One of the stated aims of the NPRP is to “Develop a greater appreciation of the views of others and a better understanding of our changing world.” Ironically, National Review published the article with a photo of Kendi in a shirt proclaiming “CHANGE.”

Maxwell recently published another piece in National Review railing against the DoD stand-down to confront extremism, including white supremacism and white nationalism in the aftermath of the 1/6 insurrection at the Capitol. Maxwell concluded, “The only foreseeable outcome of Secretary Austin’s initiative is the creation of distrust in the ranks.”

Accusations of “partisan politics” and “woke ideology” in the military by National Review and Fox News, particularly by Tucker Carlson, remind us of the reaction to the initiatives of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who was CNO from 1970 to 1974. [Zumwalt is pictured at the top of this post talking with sailors on the messdecks aboard USS Puget Sound (AD-38) in Newport, RI, circa 1970.]

Sgt. Carrie Falls aboard USS Bataan (LHD 5). (MC2 Magen F. Reed)

Fifty years ago Zumwalt was accused of weakening national defense and creating distrust in the ranks by pushing for equality of opportunity for women and people of color. In reality, he created an enlightened reformation in the U.S. Navy even as fundamentalist conservatives derided him for pushing what they perceived as a left-wing ideology.

Zumwalt was an informed leader who recognized the need for the military to grow, adapt, and change – staying true to core values while protecting our democratic republic.

People who serve in the Department of Defense must reflect the values as well as the demographics of the United States and, above all, fulfill their oath to support and defend the Constitution, a document that was born out of the Enlightenment and Age of Reason. Constitutional Amendments and the Bill of Rights guarantee the right to vote, equality for all, and freedom of speech (including the freedom to read). That may be an ideology, per se, but it’s an ideology reflecting “We the People” and “E Pluribus Unum.”

If there is criticism of the newly updated Navy Professional Reading Program, it is the deletion of the previous version’s “Canon,” which showcased America’s founding documents, especially the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

Nevertheless, both the CNO and MCPON are commended for publishing titles that hone professional critical thinking skills for a continually evolving Navy, nation, and world. The NPRP motto is “Read well to lead well.”

Navy Reads, which is my personal and unofficial blog, is dedicated to promoting leadership, reading, and critical thinking. We look forward to reviewing some of the NPRP suggestions in the months ahead, including “How to Be and Antiracist.” It sounds enlightening.