The 2017 National Women Veterans Summit put on by VA’s Center for Women Veterans (CWV) was cut short due to Hurricane Harvey. The CWV has been developing ways to deliver information from the summit and I’ve collaborated with them to produce a podcast, with support of the Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), on minority women Veterans. Barbara Ward, the Director for CMV, lead a panel with Teresita Smith, Juanita Mullen and Ginger Miller.

About Center for Minority Veterans:

The Center for Minority Veterans is the VA model for inter-and intra-agency co-operation, to ensure all veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion or gender. The center is process improvement-oriented and both internal and external customer-centric.  Dignity and an acceptable quality of life are the products the center seeks to deliver to ALL veterans no matter what their circumstance.

Covered in Episode 52:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

The #VApodcast is now available in iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play, and Spotify. Search “Borne the Battle” in your podcast app of choice to subscribe.

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13 Comments

  1. Jah Girl October 20, 2017 at 11:47

    Everyone is equal but everyone is not treated equally. Hence the need for places for people to be treated equally. The real problem is it’s only a hoax for people to feel like they are being treated equally while Congress does not equally fund the programs created by Public Law for minorities to use.

  2. Harold Penson October 18, 2017 at 09:15

    I have been fighting for disability from the V A for 10 years still nothing but lies

  3. Denise Robertson October 13, 2017 at 17:15

    I consider the Center for Minority Veterans as a center for people of color, not just African American. I do not agree that minorities need a separate center. We are VETERANS, and will always be. There is enough dividing of people in the country and we as veterans should not have to go through this. Now I have been subjected to racism, while on active duty, as a veteran, and being a inpatient at a VA facility. Yes, I do know that the VA system is not fair to people of color, and probably never has.

  4. J l hutton October 13, 2017 at 13:27

    Timothy Lawson you are part of the problem not part of the solution. A veteran is a veteran. You are the racist insiting trouble. What’s next the center for whites or Indians or for any other color or religion. This is the first time I’ve visited this site it’s also the last time I’ll visit the site. You must be a liberal snowflake in DC.

    • Megan Moloney October 13, 2017 at 14:19

      Mr. Hutton, both the Center for Minority Veterans and the Center for Women Veterans are VA programs created by public law to serve Veterans. The Center for Minority Veterans was established by Public Law 103-446 in 1994. As part of our digital team, Mr. Lawson’s interview with Centers is amplifying programs and services available for Veterans.

      You can find out more about the CMV here and the CWV here.

  5. Judaye Streett October 13, 2017 at 13:10

    Dave, I’m an African American woman Veteran. I don’t know what to say to you.

    You wrote, “but the only way to completely eliminate the bad behavior of racism but to also eliminate the use of any behavior that inadvertently highlights racial divide.” I would like to see that happen too.” The question is how.

    Completely eliminate. How?
    Behavior that inadvertently highlight racial divide: White people highlight my racial difference from them regularly.

    I cannot trust you until you listen and try to understand some of the scary, negative experiences I have had at the VA: that those experiences happened to me because I am black. I don’t think you will listen. I’ve tried. I’ve had white people tell me I’m too sensitive or that has happened to them too. They could handle it. They diminish the impact of racism on me. This is my truth. I’m telling you.

    So now what?

  6. Mario Fartmyth October 13, 2017 at 12:41

    This is like assuming that the minority veteran doesn’t get the same care and treatment that ALL veterans have earned! Quick, somebody pull the race card!

  7. Don October 13, 2017 at 12:24

    Not sure why there is a Center for Minority Veterans; is there a Center for Non-Minority Veterans? As stated before, we are all veterans! Since basic training, we were trained to be one. Stop the constant divide that is forced on us by the Government. Does this event provide different or better service to minorities over non-minorities? But, when you have Congressional Black Caucus and other organization strictly for minorities, we will always have a divide. If there was a Congressional White or non-black Caucus, they would be called racist or Nazi. Stop the divide! Is there a Non-minority month to celebrate? How about an European American month? We all bleed red! I will stop here….

  8. JERRY October 13, 2017 at 10:46

    oops i missed Minority Not Black

    • CD October 13, 2017 at 19:08

      Yeah ooops Jerry it said Minority Veterans not Black, Asian, Native American, British, Canadian, women, LGBT, etc. It said minorities, and unless you have been called a derogatory racist name, spit or kicked by a fellow soldier, sailor or airman then you wouldn’t understand. We are not all the same I wished we were then we wouldn’t be having these type of forums. Let’s support each other like we are supposed to. I guarantee if a fellow brother or sister in arms needed help no matter what race they would be able to get it. It just not that easy sometimes. Let’s support each other and make a difference instead of arguing.

  9. Jack Brady October 13, 2017 at 10:46

    So, is the VA in such bad shape that we have to have a center minority veterans panel?! If that is the case then the VA is in worse condition than anyone thought.

  10. JERRY October 13, 2017 at 10:43

    this is racist, it should be veterans , NOT BLACK VETERANS

  11. Dave October 13, 2017 at 10:38

    Don’t you realize that the very act of creating an event such as “Center for Minority Veterans” perpetuates racial divide.

    Why not just create a “Center for Veterans” which makes everyone equal and does not categorize some people as minorities.

    I realize that it was not your intention to perpetuate racial divide – that it is an unintended consequence that comes from trying to help – but the only way to completely eliminate the bad behavior of racism but to also eliminate the use of any behavior that inadvertently highlights racial divide. For example, while it is a good thing to celebrate unique heritages but let’s not make a (for example) Hispanic heritage month. Because that inadvertently is dividing the Hispanic race from other races. EVERYONE IS EQUAL REGARDLESS OF RACE!

Comments are closed.

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