Black Women in Command

Black women have always served—often without recognition, often without authority, and too often without protection. Yet across the twentieth century, they forged paths into leadership spaces that were never designed for them.

In this episode of Rise to Command, we center the stories of Black women who navigated the dual burdens of racism and sexism while serving in the U.S. military, carving out space for command, credibility, and institutional change.

From segregated units and limited occupational roles to moments of breakthrough leadership, these women challenged deeply entrenched norms and reshaped what military authority could look like.

Drawing from oral histories, institutional records, and lived experience, this episode examines how Black women asserted leadership in environments that questioned their presence at every turn—and how their service expanded the meaning of command itself.

This is not just a story about inclusion.

It is a story about power, resilience, and transformation.

📘 Rise to Command: Black Military Officers’ Stories of Survival and Leadership from World War II through the Cold War is available now—pick up a copy to explore these narratives in greater depth.

Amazon link: 1https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Command-Military-Officers-Leadership/dp/0700638822/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2XX6G8W2S2Q1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.taP5OxkBOOjFIzOqiW6h9wEKMN1gOZNfaCqprE_CBFM.v1N5yNCzvqVvenWBVc8cYKSNCelpqIP4sfy2ZbM9vos&dib_tag=se&keywords=rise+to+command%2C+isaac+hampton&qid=1767550469&sprefix=%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share—because these stories matter.

In this episode of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass, Dr. Isaac Hampton II examines how institutional reform in the U.S. Army was often built quietly—through relationships, policy, mentorship, and rigorous analysis rather than public confrontation.

The Architecture of Advancement focuses on Major General Julius Parker and Colonel Douthard Butler, two officers who took different paths but shared a common purpose: reshaping the Army from within. Raised in the segregated South and educated at Prairie View A&M University, both men learned early how discipline, preparation, and institutional fluency were essential for survival and advancement.

As a military intelligence officer, Parker mastered the personnel system, using strategic relationships and documentation to demystify promotion processes and mentor younger officers navigating biased evaluations. His leadership style was patient and persuasive—grounded in competence, preparation, and quiet accountability.

Butler, a Vietnam combat veteran and gifted analyst, approached reform structurally. Through doctrine development, officer education, and his landmark Butler Study, he exposed systemic disparities in evaluations, assignments, and mentorship that limited Black officers’ advancement. His work provided a blueprint for institutional accountability and long-term reform.

Together, Parker and Butler demonstrate that progress in the Army was not accidental—it was engineered. Their stories reveal how leadership, when applied thoughtfully, could become a tool of correction rather than exclusion.

Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a student, soldier, or educator—and consider picking up a copy of Rise to Command to explore these stories in greater depth.

In this episode of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass, Dr. Isaac Hampton II explores how institutional power operated behind the scenes in the post–civil rights U.S. Army—and how African American officers used policy, personnel systems, and mentorship to shape meaningful change.

Gatekeepers and Guardians centers on the experiences of Lieutenant General Andrew Chambers and Colonel John S. McLeod, two officers who influenced the Army not through public protest or high-profile command, but through discipline, documentation, and reform from within. As senior leaders in recruiting, equal opportunity, ROTC, and personnel management, Chambers and McLeod understood that careers were often decided in evaluations, assignments, and promotion systems—long before they reached the spotlight.

Drawing from oral history, this episode examines how Chambers used measurable standards and accountability to reform recruiting and the Army Equal Opportunity Program, while McLeod quietly mentored younger officers and challenged biased evaluations through careful, deliberate intervention. Together, their stories reveal how equity in the military was often advanced not by slogans, but by systems—and by leaders willing to master them.

This episode reminds us that some of the most consequential leadership is invisible: written into policy, embedded in process, and sustained through mentorship that reshapes futures one decision at a time.

Episode 4 of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass examines how African American officers navigated leadership, ethics, and institutional loyalty during a period of profound change in the U.S. Army.

Through the experiences of Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg, Lieutenant General Emmett Paige Jr., and Major General Charles Bussey, this episode explores different pathways to command—logistics, communications, and public service—and the personal costs of leadership in an institution not designed for their success.

Drawing from first-hand oral histories, Dr. Isaac W. Hampton II reflects on how these officers balanced quiet excellence, self-determination, and, at times, principled critique while remaining deeply committed to the military profession. Their stories reveal leadership shaped not by protest, but by presence, precision, and conscience.

📘 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.

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, listen, and share to help preserve these vital voices of leadership and service.

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.

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, listen, and share to help preserve these important stories of leadership and service.

Episode 3 of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass explores the lives and leadership of three African American Army officers—MG Edward Greer, COL Clarence A. Miller Jr., and LTC Ernest V. Martin—whose careers spanned segregation, integration, and institutional change.

Through their voices, this episode examines what it meant to lead while navigating unequal expectations, limited mentorship, and an unspoken pressure to represent more than oneself. Their stories reveal the burdens placed on Black officers to balance professionalism, loyalty to the institution, and responsibility to those who followed them into uniform.

Dr. Isaac W. Hampton II reflects on how these officers understood command not simply as authority, but as stewardship—earned through discipline, preparation, and resilience in environments that often questioned their legitimacy.

📘 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.

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe, share, and help preserve these vital stories of leadership and service.

In this opening episode of Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass, Dr. Isaac W. Hampton II shares the origin story behind the book and this podcast series. Drawing from interviews with African American officers who served from World War II through the Cold War, Episode 1 explores why their voices, experiences, and lessons still matter today.

Through personal reflections and powerful first-hand accounts, listeners hear how Black officers navigated the Jim Crow South, earned commissions through HBCUs and OCS programs, and carried the weight of serving an institution that did not always return their loyalty. Their stories reveal the dual battles they fought—overseas and within the military itself—and the quiet excellence that allowed them to rise through systems built to doubt them.

This episode sets the foundation for the series, highlighting the wisdom these officers passed down and the enduring relevance of their leadership.

📘 Companion Book: Rise to Command: Black Military Officers’ Stories of Survival and Leadership from World War II through the Cold War — available from the University Press of Kansas and Amazon.

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe and share to help preserve this vital history.

Rise to Command: Conversations with Black Brass is a companion podcast to Dr. Isaac W. Hampton II’s groundbreaking book, Rise to Command: Black Military Officers’ Stories of Survival and Leadership from World War II through the Cold War (University Press of Kansas).

Through the voices of African American officers who led, endured, and inspired, this series brings to life untold chapters of U.S. military history. Drawing from rare oral history interviews, Dr. Hampton reveals how these leaders navigated racism, service, and sacrifice to reshape both the armed forces and the nation itself.

Each episode combines authentic storytelling with historical insight, offering listeners a front-row seat to courage, mentorship, and change within the ranks.

📘 Learn more or order the companion book Rise to Command on Amazon or from the University Press of Kansas.

• Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/eHGjmxd

• Univ. of Kansas Press Link: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700638826/

New episodes every Thursday. Subscribe and share to help preserve this vital history.