TAMPA (Tribune News Service) — Leaders at
MacDill Air Force Base are reaching out to
Tampa Bay schools to expose students in minority communities to
Air Force aviation careers. The base also is hosting panels with community leaders to discuss diversity and inclusion, expanding on similar conversations happening within units on base.
These are some of the efforts underway at the
Tampa military base as it seeks to address racial disparities and related issues, despite an executive order in September by then-President
Donald Trump, which limited formal diversity training.
In December 2020, the Department of the Air Force Inspector General released a report confirming that racial disparities exist for Black service members in areas such as military justice and leadership opportunities.