Politics
After 246 Years, Marine Corps Gives 4 Stars to a Black Officer
WASHINGTON — In the military, there have already been countless promotion ceremonies this year, held on army bases, aircraft carriers and even, in one case, an escarpment overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy.
But on Saturday there was one for the history books. Gen. Michael E. Langley, 60, became the first Black Marine to receive a fourth star on his shoulder — a landmark achievement in the corps’ 246-year history. With that star, he becomes one of only three four-star generals serving in the Marine Corps — the service’s senior leadership.
In an emotional ceremony at the Marine Barracks in Washington, General Langley, whose next assignment will be to lead United States Africa Command, acknowledged the weight of his promotion. Before Saturday, the Marine Corps had never given four stars to anyone who was not a white man.
Referring to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s order that desegregated the Marine Corps during World War II, General Langley listed a slew of Black Marines who went before him. They included Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first Black man to become a Marine Corps general, and Ronald L. Bailey, the first Black man to command the First Marine Division. Both men topped out at lieutenant general.
General Langley’s promotion has electrified Black Marines. On Thursday, a slew of them ambushed him when he appeared at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia to get new uniforms to take with him to Stuttgart, Germany, where Africa Command is based.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, sir,” General Langley, in an interview, recalled one star-stuck Black major saying. “I just want to shake your hand.”
Soon, more Marines — Black and white, men and women — were asking to take pictures with the new four-star general.
At Saturday’s ceremony, five officers sat in a row watching the proceedings. They were part of an expeditionary warfare training class at Quantico that the Marine commandant, Gen. David H. Berger, visited on Wednesday. Around 45 minutes into General Berger’s talk to the class, Capt. Rousseau Saintilfort, 34, raised his hand. “How can I be there Saturday?” he asked.
“It didn’t click on me at first because everyone was asking questions about amphibious stuff and tactics, and he asked me about Saturday,” General Berger said at the ceremony, to laughter.
Capt. Ibrahim Diallo, 31, who came up from Quantico with Captain Saintilfort, said in an interview that “all these friends started messaging me, saying, ‘You’re going to be next.’”
“I don’t know if I’m going to stick around that long,” he said, “but just the fact that junior Marines can see this, they will see that no matter what background you come from, you can achieve in the Marine Corps as long as you perform.”
For the Marine Corps, the promotion of General Langley is a step that has been a long time coming. Since the corps began admitting African American troops in 1942, the last military service to do so, fewer than 30 have obtained the rank of general in any form. Not one had made it to the top four-star rank, an honor the Marines have bestowed on 73 white men.
Seven African Americans reached lieutenant general, or three stars. The rest have received one or two stars, a majority in areas from which the Marine Corps does not choose its senior leadership, like logistics, aviation and transport.
General Langley, who oversaw Marine forces on the East Coast in his last posting, has commanded at every level, from platoon to regiment, during his 37-year career. He served overseas in Afghanistan, Somalia and Okinawa, and he has also had several senior staff jobs at the Pentagon and at the military’s Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East.
After a New York Times article in 2020 about the dearth of Black Marine generals, General Berger was asked why the corps had not promoted an African American to its top ranks in its entire history. “The reality of it is: Everybody is really, really, really good,” General Berger said in an interview with Defense One. “For every 10 we pick, every 12, we could pick 30 more — every bit as good.”
General Langley’s promotion is particularly poignant given that his great-uncle was one of the Montford Point Marines, who were the first Black recruits to join the Marine Corps after it began admitting African Americans in 1942. They trained at Montford Point in North Carolina, which was separate from Camp Lejeune, where white recruits trained.
It had taken Roosevelt’s executive order to force the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time, Thomas Holcomb, to open the service to Black men. “If it were a question of having a Marine Corps of 5,000 whites or 250,000 Negroes,” the Marine commandant once said, “I would rather have the whites.”
Now, one of the corps’ three senior leaders says things have changed.
“Mentally we have learned that there’s greater value in the collective than just the monolithic perception of what the makeup of the Marine Corps is,” General Langley said. He said that his hope was that Black Marines would view the corps as a place where they would not be hampered by a glass ceiling.
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(WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 2, 2025) – Fierce. Fearless. Unapologetically Black. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett is one of the rising stars in American politics—bringing bold energy, sharp legal acumen, and a deep commitment to justice to Washington, D.C. Representing Texas’s 30th Congressional District since 2023, the St. Louis-born attorney has become known nationwide for her powerful voice, passionate advocacy, and unfiltered style.
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Progressive Caucus, and Black Maternal Health Caucus, Crockett serves as Vice Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee—pivotal roles that have allowed her to champion transparency, equity, and accountability in government.
From St. Louis to the Halls of Power
Born to Joseph and Gwen Crockett in Missouri, Jasmine attended Rhodes College in Memphis, where a racially motivated hate crime—and the legal support she received from a lawyer with The Cochran Firm—sparked her passion for law and justice. She earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 2006 and began her career as a public defender in East Texas, later launching a private firm that fought for justice in both courtrooms and communities—including pro bono defense for Black Lives Matter activists.
Legislative Firebrand
Before Congress, Crockett served in the Texas House of Representatives, flipping a seat in Dallas and gaining a reputation for her boldness and brilliance. In Washington, she quickly emerged as a trusted voice for the Democratic Party’s new generation, serving as Freshman Class Representative in the 118th Congress and co-chairing the 2024 Harris–Walz presidential campaign.
She’s unafraid to speak truth to power—whether defending democracy during House hearings or calling out double standards in televised debates. Her now-viral remarks on the weaponization of government and accountability for former President Donald Trump, delivered with searing wit and clarity, reflect her unique ability to cut through noise and speak directly to the people.
Rooted in Service. Powered by Purpose.
Crockett is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and her Baptist faith grounds her work. She’s known for speaking not just with policy expertise—but with moral clarity, emotional intelligence, and cultural relevance. Her rhetorical style, marked by sharp humor and strategic alliteration (“vindictive vile villain violate voters’ vision”), has made her a force in both committee chambers and convention stages.
Whether advocating for Black maternal health, pushing for police accountability, or defending the rights of migrants and marginalized communities, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett continues to fight for a more just America—unbossed and unbought.
“I’m here because I’ve lived it. I’ve defended it. And now I’m determined to legislate it.”
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
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