By Jonathan Forney
Special to the AFRO
A crowd of friends, family and fellow servicemembers gathered on the lawn of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to commemorate Army Captain Bianca Ross’ promotion to major on Sept. 15.
The historically Black college and university alumna from Clark Atlanta University was born at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
She took the opportunity of her promotion to major, which coincided with her 32nd birthday, to encourage other Black women in the armed forces to stay true to themselves and make every 24 hours count.
During her remarks, Ross called out the names of great men and women who have gone before her, including Nefertiti; Ida B. Wells; W.B. DuBois, Fannie Lou Hamer; James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni and more.
“These are people who have inspired me and not only gave me permission to be myself, but helped me understand that it’s a requirement,” said Ross. “A former colleague once confessed that he and other White, male officers watched me closely, hoping to find flaws because it unsettled them that I didn’t carry myself like an oppressed person. This is a PSA to them and whoever has ever thought to themselves, ‘Who does she think she is?’ You’re asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is ‘Who does she know she is?’ And the answer is: A beautiful Black queen with her own mind, who is not afraid to use her voice and unstoppable when she puts her mind to something.”
“Advocating for myself doesn’t make me problematic,” Maj. Ross said. “The military heroes celebrated in this museum behind me did not achieve greatness by lowering their heads.”
Colonel Tony Fears swore Maj. Ross into her new rank, with family members placing the new major rank pin on her uniform.
“She’s more than a soldier,” Col. Fears said. “She’s an innovator, a trailblazer and a world citizen.”
In addition to her military accomplishments, Maj. Founded a tech startup, talkdonttext. The service is a social app to connect people and redistribute advertising dollars to small businesses. Several current Howard University students working at the startup with Maj. Ross were in attendance.
The ceremony’s location was a symbolic gesture. Col. Fears said that standing in the museum’s shadow, Maj. Ross reminds onlookers to “dream boldly” and “persevere relentlessly.”
Attendees were encouraged to come up and say a few words to celebrate the occasion. Many referred to how Maj. Ross exemplified her HBCU’s motto, “find a way or make one.”
Captain Darius Postell, who has known Maj. Ross for many years, called her growth and leadership inspirational. He added that she has “an incredible ability to inspire others to move mountains.”
Throughout the ceremony, Maj. Ross said that knowing exactly who she is has helped her get this far and she encouraged others to do the same.
“Too often, Black officers are taught that respectability politics is the only path to success,” she said. “I reject that idea. Respectability politics demand that we sacrifice our own self respect for others approval and my self respect is not negotiable.”
Maj. Ross said that the last year and half of her Army career has been the hardest for her, but she made it through with the help of Captain Darius Postell and others.
“I want to thank all of my sisters in uniform for nothing more than being themselves and for having the audacity,” Maj. Ross said. “You all inspire me.”