Episode 2 Excellence Under Pressure
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Episode 2 Excellence Under Pressure
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About this listen
In Episode 2 of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass, Dr. Isaac W. Hampton II examines what it meant for African American officers to lead under constant scrutiny. Serving in an institution that often questioned their competence and legitimacy, Black officers learned early that there was little room for error.
Drawing from oral history interviews, this episode explores how professionalism, discipline, and unwavering preparation became survival tools. These officers understood that excellence was not merely encouraged—it was required. They carried the burden of representing more than themselves while remaining responsible for the soldiers they led.
Excellence Under Pressure highlights the quiet strategies Black officers used to navigate unequal expectations, limited mentorship, and institutional barriers, revealing leadership forged not through protest, but through consistency and resilience.
📘 Companion Book: Rise to Command: Black Military Officers’ Stories of Survival and Leadership from World War II through the Cold War — available now from the University Press of Kansas and Amazon.
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