Military school’s ‘woke’ battle lines

A group of Virginia Military Institute alumni is at war with the school’s first black leader over his push to introduce “woke” diversity policies at the oldest public senior military college in the US.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, 60, launched new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives after taking the helm of VMI in October 2020.

He laid out a five-goal plan for “Inclusive Excellence” by citing the mission to “achieve and maintain a more diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, staff and administration.”

Wins became superintendent after serving in an interim capacity when Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III resigned amid allegations of a racist culture at the school.

But ever since VMI introduced new DEI initiatives, a group of well-funded, mostly white conservative alumni from 1985 — the year Wins graduated — has led an all-out assault on the woke efforts, The Washington Post reported.

Ex-Marine Matt Daniel, 60, founded a political action committee dubbed the Spirit of VMI to fight the 183-year-old school’s progressive efforts.

“Reject the woke assault on VMI. Close ranks,” one of the PAC’s websites declares.

The Spirit of VMI also said in a statement that its criticism of Wins was not racially motivated.

The PAC recently posted an essay on its blog that DEI’s “purpose is to cow Americans into agreeing with the fundamental premise that white people are inherently and irredeemably racist.”

Wins, who also declined to comment, has maintained strong support from VMI Board President Tom Watjen.