Vol. 49, No. 9, July 2020
Serving the Greater Stuttgart
Military Community
www.stuttgartcitizen.com
Cpl. Carlos Webster, from the 554th Military Police Company, was among the graduates of the first virtual Basic Leader Course held in Europe amid coronavirus restrictions. A June 12 ceremony recognized the Soldiers’ achievement. To read more about BLC, turn to page 5. Photo by Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart
Soldiers graduate
virtual BLC
Community members support garrison "Equality for All" events By Rebecca Castellano U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Community members at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart came together June 19 to promote equality for all and to show their support for a global movement against discrimination. In all, roughly 600 people took part, running and walking five kilometers together, enjoying music and talking about race and inequality. At Patch Barracks, Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty, deputy commander of U.S. European Command, opened the event by speaking about the ongoing struggle for equality. “The first slaves landed in the United States in 1619. Today is 2020,” Twitty said. “If you want to know why people are so passionate about protesting in the streets right now, it’s because of when these struggles started, and the fact that they haven't stopped.” Twitty, who is African American, shared some personal experiences of discrimination before imploring everyone to unite against inequality. “We’re hurt and we’re tired and it's not right,” Twitty said. “I need all of you out there to stand up for what is right. Stand up for gender, stand up for sexual orientation. It doesn’t matter what religion you are. We are human beings and should be treated with dignity and respect.” On Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart High School Principal Rick Renninger reminded the crowd why their participation mattered. “We are gathered to run and walk in
Photo by Bardia Khajenoori, USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs Lt. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, Deputy Commander, United States European Command, speaks to a crowd at the June 19 “Equality For All” event at Patch Barracks.
solidarity to continue the fight to remove the barriers of discrimination for everyone- discrimination based on gender, race, age, color, religion, or sexual orientation,” Renninger said. “But we are not alone. We are here in solidarity with the millions of people world wide who are opening their eyes to what so many have lived their lives struggling against.”
The June 19 event, dubbed “Equality for All,” coincided with Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating a turning point in U.S. history. On June 19, 1865, following the Civil War, a U.S. Army officer in Texas proclaimed that all slaves were set free. Military leaders wanted to encourage meaningful dialogue about issues of race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and other disparities in a way that is reflective of the Army’s core values, said Col. Jason Condrey, commander of USAG Stuttgart. In recent weeks, military leaders in Stuttgart held informal discussions on issues of race and inequality, Condrey said. See EQUALITY, page 2