WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is tapping Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., a history-making fighter pilot with deep knowledge of China, to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brown’s confirmation would mean that, for the first time, both the Pentagon’s top military and civilian positions would be held by African Americans. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief, has been in the job since the beginning of the administration. The only other Black person to serve as Joint Chiefs chairman was Army Gen. Colin Powell.

The nomination has been long expected. If confirmed by the Senate, Brown would replace Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term ends in October, as the nation’s next top military officer. The president plans to unveil Brown as his pick during a Rose Garden event Thursday afternoon.

Biden saw Brown as the right person for the job because of his work modernizing the U.S. fleet of aircraft and its nuclear arsenal and his years of experience in shaping U.S. defenses to meet China’s rise, a senior administration official said. He’s also been deeply involved in the Pentagon’s efforts to equip Ukraine with billions of dollars in U.S. weaponry as Kyiv tries to fend off Russia’s 15-month old invasion.

Brown, 60, has commanded at every possible level in the Air Force and in joint commands, including in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He also helped build and lead the U.S. air campaign against the Islamic State militant group.

Brown is a career F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours and command experience at all levels. He has broken barriers throughout his career. He served as the military’s first Black Pacific Air Forces commander, where he led the nation’s air strategy to counter China in the Indo-Pacific as Beijing rapidly militarized islands in the South China Sea and tested its bomber reach with flights near Guam.

Three years ago he became the first Black Air Force chief of staff, the service’s top military officer, which also made him the first African American to lead any of the military branches.

For the last year Brown has been widely viewed as the frontrunner to replace Milley, as the Pentagon shifts from preparing for the major land wars of the past to deterring a potential future conflict with Beijing.

That effort could depend heavily upon the military’s ability to rapidly meet China’s rise in cyberwar, space, nuclear weapons and hypersonics, all areas Brown has sharply focused on for the last several years as the Air Force’s top military leader, in order to modernize U.S. airpower for a 21st century fight.

Brown’s confirmation, however, could be delayed. Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has been blocking military nominations due to his objections over the Pentagon’s policy that provides travel funds and support for troops and dependents to seek a range of reproductive health care, including abortions, if they are based in states where they are now illegal.

The Joint Chiefs chairman is the highest-ranking officer in the country and serves as the senior military adviser to the president, the defense secretary and the National Security Council. The chairman commands no troops and is not formally in the chain of command. But the chairman plays a critical role in all major military issues, from policy decisions to advice on major combat operations, and leads meetings with all the joint chiefs who head the various armed services.

As Air Force chief, Brown has pushed to modernize U.S. nuclear capabilities, including the soon-to-fly next-generation stealth bomber, and led the effort to shed aging warplanes so there’s funding to move forward with a new fleet of unmanned systems. He’s also supported the development of the U.S. Space Force, which received many of its first Guardians and capabilities from the Air Force.

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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed reporting.

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TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Officials in the city of Tacoma, Washington, will pay $3.1 million to the family of a Black man who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop in 2019.

The City Council announced Tuesday’s settlement with the relatives of 24-year-old Bennie Branch in a news release.

“This family’s loss has been felt deeply across our entire community – specifically amongst Tacoma’s African American community,” the statement said, adding that the settlement was “not an admission of legal liability,” but rather a way for both sides to avoid an expensive trial.

Branch was in a car with other people on Sept. 8, 2019, when a patrol officer spotted the vehicle idling and pointed in the wrong direction. The officer approached the driver after recognizing the vehicle as one associated with previous gun-related crimes, police said.

Branch left the car and got into his mom’s, which was nearby, police said. The officer notified dispatch about Branch’s actions and told them Branch might be armed.

When officer Ryan Bradley and his partner responded to the scene, they ordered Branch to get out of the car. Police said officers heard a woman shrieking in the car and thought it might have been a carjacking. Police said Bradley’s partner tried to pull Branch out, but he tried to escape. Police said they shocked Branch twice with stun guns and he fell to the ground.

Bradley’s partner then hit Branch in the head and chest multiple times, police said. They said the officer then called out that Branch was going for a gun and moved away. Bradley fired at Branch 11 times, hitting him seven times.

A county prosecutor said Bradley acted lawfully and that the BB gun Branch had on him resembled a handgun.

The city said in its statement that it supports the Tacoma Police Department’s ongoing efforts to build community trust through measures that include updating their use of force policy, requiring officers to activate body cameras whenever they engage with the public, and the development of a community service officer program.

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Memorial Day has a deep historical connection to the African American community in the United States.

The holiday, which originated as Decoration Day, initially began when formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants gathered to honor and decorate the graves of Union soldiers who fought during the Civil War.

“Oddly, that’s a fact that I wasn’t fully aware of,” former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young told the Black Press.

“It’s not surprising, though,” said Young, an American civil rights leader and hero.

Indeed, on a day when picnics, family outings, and other leisurely pursuits occur, the founders of Memorial Day meant for the occasion to honor African Americans newly freed from enslavement, and those who lost their lives fighting for freedom, said actor Wendell Pierce.

“We will never forget those brave and honorable souls,” Pierce stated.

Famous DJ Donnie Simpson called the occasion “very different for me.”

“While we honor those who gave their lives in service for this country, I can’t help but think of those African Americans who were massacred in Tulsa 100 years ago,” Simpson wrote on Twitter.

Author Christina Coles deadpanned, “The Civil War was over, and African Americans had founded Memorial Day in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. They were the true patriots.”

Ben Gold, a historian and founder of the real estate investment firm Recommended Homebuyers, said recognizing Black soldiers,’ and their families’ sacrifices and bravery is essential because it acknowledges their often-overlooked role in shaping the nation’s history.

“Commemorating Memorial Day with Black heroes in mind serves several critical purposes. First and foremost, it ensures that their stories are included and preserved within the broader narrative of the holiday,” Gold insisted.

He said that by highlighting Black service members’ courage, resilience, and contributions, America pays homage to their sacrifices and honors their memory.

Moreover, Gold asserted that it fosters a sense of inclusivity, promotes diversity, and enriches our collective understanding of the complex tapestry of American history.

“In my experience as an investor and developer, I have witnessed firsthand the power of recognizing and celebrating diversity,” Gold said. “Just as the real estate industry thrives when it embraces inclusivity, so does our society when we acknowledge and appreciate the diverse perspectives and experiences of all those who have served our country.

“By featuring the stories of Black heroes in Memorial Day commemorations, we not only educate and inspire, but we also contribute to a more inclusive and united nation.”

Indeed, as noted in a Washington Informer editorial, the significance of African Americans in the holiday’s development and the numerous ideas regarding its origins may not be widely known.

Although the origins of Memorial Day trace back to the period following the Civil War, when some 620,000 soldiers lost their lives, the precise origins remain a source of controversy.

Several cities have staked claims to be the first to celebrate Memorial Day.

Still, a different narrative, perhaps more accurately, says that African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 were the true founders of the holiday.

Renowned historian David Blight, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and American history professor at Yale University recounted a poignant commemoration in Charleston on May 1, 1865.

Organized by formerly enslaved people and white missionaries, Blight determined that the event occurred at a former racecourse that had served as a Confederate prison for Union soldiers during the war’s final year.

At least 257 prisoners had perished there, primarily due to disease, and were buried in unmarked graves.

Eventually, two dozen African American residents of Charleston meticulously rearranged the graves into orderly rows.

They erected a three-meter-tall white fence around them, creating what they called the ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse’ memorial.

“After the Confederate evacuation of Charleston Black workmen went to the site, reburied the Union dead properly, and built a high fence around the cemetery,” Blight documented.

“They whitewashed the fence and built an archway over an entrance on which they inscribed the words, ‘Martyrs of the Racecourse.’”

He continued: “The symbolic power of this Low Country planter aristocracy’s bastion was not lost on the freed people, who then, in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged a parade of 10,000 on the track.”

The gravesites were transformed into a breathtaking “sea of flowers,” as described by the New York Tribune, and the event was hailed as a procession of mourning and remembrance, unlike anything South Carolina or the United States had witnessed before.

Despite documented evidence about this event, the narrative of African Americans being the founders of Memorial Day essentially went untold.

“That’s the surprising part,” said Ambassador Young, a civil rights icon who also served as mayor of Atlanta from 1981 to 1990.

“It’s history I want to read and know more about, and everyone else should as well.”

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