#BlackGirlMagic is clearly more than just a hashtag! According to ArmyTimes.com, the controversial photo of 16 black female cadets raising their fists was just one of dozens of images the women took as part of a long-held West Point tradition, according to Brenda Sue Fulton, a 1980 West Point grad who chairs the U.S. Military Academy’s Board of Visitors.
West Point officials are continuing to investigate the image, which has been criticized online in recent days for allegedly violating Defense Department policy concerning political activities while in uniform.
Fulton, back on April 27, had posted another image from the shoot via Twitter. This image is clearly not political and was even retweeted by Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy.
The women were posing for an “Old Corps photo,” Fulton told Army Times, “a long-held tradition at the Academy.”
“Different teams and groups get together on their own to mimic the high-collar, ultra-serious, photos of 19th century cadets,” she explained of the tradition.
