Was a White Power Hand Symbol Used at the Army-Navy Football Game?

Officials at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, say they are investigating allegations that students at both institutions used a “White Power” hand signal during pregame ceremonies at the 120th annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia on December 14.

During the pregame telecast, students were seen using an upside-down OK hand gesture that has been ruled a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League. The OK hand symbol used upside down is said to form the letters WP and has been used by some far-right groups as a symbol for “White Power,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s latest data, African Americans are 12 percent of the students at West Point and 7 percent of the students at the Naval Academy.

Update: An invesitgation by the U.S. Navy determined that the hand signals were not racially motivated.

Related Articles

3 COMMENTS

  1. I would hope the investigation by the USNA would not be concluded this quickly

    Gives the distinct impression the matter has been trivialized by the Naval Academy hierarchy

  2. From an associated discussion on the topic:

    “The problem i have with this conclusion is : how do you play the circle game with a tv camera ? Who are you gonna punch in the shoulder for looking?”

  3. It beggars belief that a symbol adopted by”far right “white power” groups can be deemed “not racially motivated.” To reach such a conclusion suggests that the Naval Academy felt compelled to “keep the lid” on something.

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

In Memoriam: Maxine Mimms, 1928-2024

Dr. Mimms served as a faculty member at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington for two decades, including 10 years as the founding director of the college's Tacoma campus.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

Nonwhite Patients Are Significantly More Likely to Have Preventative Care Insurance Claims Denied

Scholars from the University of Toronto have found non-White patients are nearly twice as likely as White patients to have an insurance claim denied. On average, they also pay more out-of-pocket costs when their claims are denied.

Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon Named Seventeenth President of Arkansas Baptist College

Prior to her new role, Dr. Rodriguez-McClellon was the vice president of community relations and governmental affairs at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh. She has a robust background in higher education, including service as the first African American president of Rochester Community and Technical College in Minnesota.

Featured Jobs