Black people were not able to attend Texas A&M University until 87 years after it was founded. It was a bit of a surprise when a black man Marquis Alexander was named commander of TAMU Corps of Cadets.
The commander’s responsibilities are to establish the dress code of the cadets and to set their daily schedule, which includes physical training.
“My grandfather held rank in the marines and if he was alive to see this monumental feat he would be extremely proud to be black and a marine,” said Christian Bell, a junior agriculture major.
Alexander was raised in Houston, Texas where future corps commanders are not usually found, let alone TAMU students, where black people only makeup less than four percent of the student population.
“We’re working on that,” Alexander said in an article written by the Huffington Post. “We’re growing steadily. I can serve as a testament to that.”
Some students hope this achievement will provide more diversity in the military at institutions.
Amir Sulafa, a junior international business major said, “I hope this will teach people that evaluating people skills based on race or religion is not the best way to get the right people for the right job. Maybe one day I will see someone who looks like me as commander of the Corps. Someone of Arab descent will be good for the job.”
Alexander is seen as the face of the university and hopes that with this acknowledgement he can help people who came from areas like him want to do something with their life.
Alexander said, “Coming out of that area, you don’t see a lot of success stories. There are not a lot of role models for that particular area. What you see is this guy living on the street or this guy selling drugs or this guy going to go to prison. Things like that. I hope to serve as a beacon of hope that: Hey, you can do this too.”
Many choose to look past the fact Alexander is black instead choosing to focus on the man that got the job not the color of his skin.
Demario Lowe, a junior management information systems major said, “I don’t think it is a defining moment to the military that he is black. The military doesn’t see race so black soldiers aren’t going to be too overjoyed because the military doesn’t make decisions on race they make them on skill and performance, but as a man he is doing a fine job for himself.”