Episode 7: Reclaiming History (from the archive)

None Of The Above

This week, we’re bringing back another one of our favorite episodes from Season 2. When we sat down with Bishop Garrison last summer, he was directing national security outreach at Human Rights First. Today, Bishop’s new role has become the center of much discussion in Washington, as he attempts to tackle white supremacy and racism in the ranks of the U.S. military as Senior Advisor to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

America’s institutions continue to reckon with their roles in legacies of slavery and racism, a year after the mass protests surrounding the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The U.S. military is no exception. This week, Bishop Garrison, a U.S. Army veteran and former homeland security and defense official, joins None Of The Above to discuss this reckoning. From the renaming of Army bases named after Confederate figures to the recruitment of veterans by white nationalist organizations and the importance of diversity in the enlisted and officer ranks, Bishop delves into the moral and strategic importance of representation in America’s most vital national security institutions.

Bishop Garrison is Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon on a range of issues concerning Human Capital and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) throughout the department. You can follow Bishop on Twitter @BishopGarrison.