Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice Main Menu Racism in the US Military Veterans Against War Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the US Military Dissidents Veterans Speak Out

Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice

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Dissidence is patriotism. This project shows how veterans repurposed their military service to speak out and organize against injustices. US military veterans are not a monolith. Their experiences are as diverse as the communities they represent and serve. In media and popular memory, veterans are often represented as symbols of nationalism - used to quell mass protests, to silence dissent, and to reinforce uncritical support for the US military and government. Just think of how pundits and politicians criticized Black Lives Matter protests as unpatriotic or ostracized athletes for kneeling during the national anthem. But throughout American history, veterans fought on the front lines of social change, mobilizing for Black freedom, advocating for equality, and forming mass protests against the Vietnam War. In the first months of Trump's second term, the federal government began erasing the histories of Black veterans like Dorie Miller, Metgar Evers, and Jackie Robinson and scrubbing the websites of the Department of Defense and the National Archives to propagate a thinly-veiled white supremacist vision of history where all veterans look, think, and act the same.1 These efforts are not only rewriting history, but they are also actively targeting current service members. Once again, transgender people are being banned from service and kicked out without veterans benefits.2 This moment of backlash makes hearing the stories of veterans who experienced racial discrimination, gender inequality, and punishment in the military even more urgent. More importantly, their oral histories demonstrate strategies for advocating and organizing for change, solidarity across different groups and time, and the power of speaking out. 

Methods: Based on a collection of oral history interviews, this exhibit features the stories of seven American veterans who spoke out against systemic injustices - racism, imperialism, and sexual violence in the military. We upheld the principles and best practices as established by the Oral History Association. All participants freely consented to their interviews being recorded and shared with the public, and they have reviewed all recordings, transcripts, and stories with the opportunity to edit any content that they do not wish to be part of the public record. 

Content warning: Some of the oral history interviews recount graphic memories of violence, experiences of racism, and sexual assault. This project intends to promote greater understanding of the experiences of veterans, particularly those from historically marginalized communities. The views expressed here obviously do not reflect the opinions of all veterans, but their experiences shed light on cultural, systemic, and social issues faced by many U.S. military veterans, historically and today. 

Navigation: This Scalar site allows readers to navigate by paths in the style of a choose your own narrative adventure. The oral histories are organized by the experiences of veterans. Of course, some veterans experience more than one of the themes of racism, antiwar activism, and discrimination based on sexuality and gender, but by exploring these three chapters by theme, it allows us to see how intersectional structures of power and violence operate and impact veterans' lives. Within these thematic chapters, readers may explore the stories of these veterans. Each page contains highlighted video clips and excerpts with the full oral history interview at the bottom of the page. There are also additional paths contained on many of these veterans' pages, which allows you to explore more moments from the interview, or you may choose to go directly to the next veteran's story. When you reach the end of these paths, you will be directed to the next chapter. After exploring interviews by theme, you will be directed to a page with all the interviews listed. And finally, you can learn more about the project team at the end. 

This page has paths:

  1. Dissidents Jason Higgins
  2. Dissidents: Veterans Speak Out for Justice Jason Higgins

Contents of this path:

  1. Racism in the US Military
  2. Veterans Against War
  3. Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the US Military
  4. Dissidents
  5. About the Research Team