US Naval Academy names first Black female brigade commander
The U.S. Naval Academy has announced the selection of the first Black female brigade commander in the institution’s 175-year history.
According to the academy, Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber of Lake Forest, Illinois, will assume the leadership position for the 2021 spring semester.
Barber who currently serves as the 1st regiment executive officer, will become the 16th woman to have the leadership role since 1976 when women were first allowed to attend the academy.
The first was Juliane Gallina, who graduated in 1992. The brigade commander is the highest leadership position, that of a midshipman captain, within the brigade, and is the only “six striper,” a reference to collar insignia worn on the midshipman uniform.
The brigade commander is responsible for the much of the day-to-day activities and professional training for the Naval Academy’s more than 4,400 midshipmen. Barber was selected from a group of the top-ranked first class midshipmen by a board made up of senior leadership staff, which interviewed and reviewed the candidates’ records.
Reacting to the appointment, Barber said; “Earning the title of brigade commander speaks volumes, but the title itself is not nearly as significant as the opportunity it brings to lead a team in doing something I believe will be truly special. I am humbled to play a small role in this momentous season of American history.”