West Point Academy Disbands All Social Clubs for Black and Other Nonwhite Students on Campus, Sparking Outrage

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Under President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle DEI programs within federal agencies, one of the nation’s five military academies has ordered its cadets to disband clubs and organizations that support nonwhite students on campus.

A memorandum circulating online and verified by The Washington Post states that 12 clubs at West Point Academy must cancel all formal and informal meetings and activities.

The listed clubs include the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, Contemporary Cultural Affairs Seminar Club, Corbin Forum, Japanese Forum Club, Korean-American Relations Seminar, Latin Cultural Club, National Society of Black Engineers Club, Native American Heritage Forum, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Women Engineers, the Spectrum club for LGBTQ+ students, and the Vietnamese-American Cadet Association.

Cadets arrive at Michie Stadium before the arrival of President Joe Biden during commencement exercises at West Point on May 25, 2024, in West Point, New York. Biden will speak to the Class of 2024 at the military academy. The West Point graduation is held at Michie Stadium and includes roughly 1,000 cadets graduating and commissioning into the Army as second lieutenants. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

These organizations not only served cadets of different ethnic backgrounds but also connected students with community outreach programs and professional development opportunities, promoted women’s leadership within the Army, provided support to the academy’s LGBTQ+ community, and offered education opportunities for every cadet on campus interested in learning about different cultures.

The groups were ordered to cease all activities and remove all public-facing content.

The memo also orders the Directorate of Cadet Activities to review and revalidate all of the academy’s sanctioned clubs to ensure they’re in accordance with the president’s executive orders and guidance from the Department of Defense and Department of the Army.

As of Feb. 5, every webpage for cadet clubs, even those that were not listed in the memo, has been removed from West Point’s website.

Under the executive order titled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security were directed to abolish every DEI office within the departments they oversee, “including any vestiges of DEI offices, such as sub-offices, programs, elements, or initiatives established to promote a race-based preferences system that subverts meritocracy, perpetuates unconstitutional discrimination, and promotes divisive concepts or gender ideology.”

A memo that newly-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued on Jan. 29 states that DEI policies are “incompatible with the values of the Department of Defense.” He also ordered the Department of Defense to stop celebrating cultural awareness months, including Black History Month, in a guidance issued on Jan. 31.

A copy of West Point’s memo was posted to the academy’s subreddit and then began circulating on X shortly after.

“I am sure all the Eurocentric, Christian events that are still embedded in daily activities and federal holidays will still continue. It is discriminatory to get rid of all the non-white ones,” one Reddit user wrote. “Why can’t we let Americans with other cultures celebrate their heritage also? It is tragic.”

“A real shame West Point chose this route. International forum clubs are open to all cadets, regardless of race or gender,” another person added. “It’s an informative way for cadets to learn about cultures that may not be their own.”