April 5 (UPI) -- In reaction to President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion resources and guidelines at federal institutions, the U.S. Naval Academy withdrew 381 books from its library collection.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently instructed the Naval Academy to examine its book list and eliminate texts that advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), according to US officials. Navy Times .
Academy authorities pinpointed approximately 900 books for examination and subsequently compiled a llst Of the 381 books that were taken out
The list of titles that have been taken out includes "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man" by Emmanuel Acho, and "Why Didn’t We Riot? : A Black Man in Trumpland" by Issac J. Bailey.
The Naval Academy took out 381 books on Monday ahead of Hegseth’s visit scheduled for Tuesday.
Hegseth’s directive mandated that the Defense Department must take down every “new article, photo, and video that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, including material associated with critical race theory, gender ideologies, and identity-focused initiatives.” Military.com reported.
Trump's executive order against DEI in the federal government did not apply to the U.S. military academies, but Hegseth ordered them to comply with the order following new reports saying DEI books remained on military academies' library shelves.
Aside from taking books out of the Naval Academy library, administrators also eliminated historical artifacts recognizing Jewish women who graduated from the institution at the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel.
Their dismissal was an error, and Commander Ashley Hockycko stated that "the Naval Academy leadership will promptly initiate a review and rectify the improper removal."
Various books and resources were taken out by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Included among the items removed were publications and resources about females who fought during the Civil War, online mentions of Kristin Griest, the first female to graduate from the Army’s Ranger School, as well as educational content covering the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women's Air Force Service Pilots during World War II.
Certain removed items and online content have now been reinstated.