Overview
- The Pentagon has issued a memo mandating that military academies review and sequester books addressing race, gender ideology, and other 'divisive concepts' by May 21.
- A temporary Academic Libraries Committee has been established to guide the review process, using search terms such as 'critical race theory' and 'affirmative action.'
- This directive marks the most extensive enforcement of President Trump's January executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content in federal institutions.
- The U.S. Naval Academy has already removed nearly 400 books, while a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU challenges the broader anti-DEI policy's impact on education and free speech.
- Critics, including a resigning West Point professor, warn that the policy undermines academic freedom and erases critical historical and cultural perspectives.