U.S. Naval Academy Removes Hundreds of Books Amid DEI Policy Changes

U.S. Naval Academy Removes Hundreds of Books Amid DEI Policy Changes

The U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, has removed hundreds of books from its library, including the acclaimed title How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. This decision is part of a broader initiative to eliminate content related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, commonly referred to as DEI.

On March 31, the Academy executed this removal in line with guidance from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, implementing directives that stemmed from executive orders issued by former President Donald Trump.

Notable Titles Removed

Among the books discarded was Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, also authored by Kendi, along with Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by former Georgia Representative Stacey Abrams.

Kendi’s works gained national recognition in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, which sparked widespread discussions about race relations in America.

Kendi’s Academic Journey

Kendi, who was the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, is transitioning to Howard University to pursue his research further. The announcement of his departure coincides with the impending closure of the research center at Boston University, which is set to shut down in June.

Additional Titles Discarded

The Naval Academy also purged other significant works, including I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, an autobiography chronicling her experiences during the Jim Crow era.

Further titles removed by the Naval Academy include Women with Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity by Afsanah Najmabodi; Critical Race Theory and Education: A Marxist Response by Mike Cole; Men in Wonderland: The Lost Girlhood of the Victorian Gentleman by Catherine Robson; and Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex by Elizabeth Reis.

Understanding the Policy Shift

Although Trump’s January executive orders aimed to prohibit DEI-related content in K–12 schools that receive federal funding, military service academies, including the U.S. Naval Academy, were not included in this classification. Despite this exemption, there appears to be a concerted effort to align the institution with the prevailing governmental stance on such educational materials.

Hegseth’s office directed the service academy to remove the controversial materials before his planned visit on April 1. There remains ambiguity over whether this directive originated from Hegseth himself or was generated by a staffer within his office.

Response from the U.S. Navy

The Navy confirmed to Fox News Digital that approximately 400 titles were discarded as part of this initiative. A spokesperson indicated, “The U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from their Nimitz Library collection in order to ensure compliance with all directives outlined in executive orders issued by the president.”

Additionally, the Nimitz Library contains around 590,000 print books, 322 databases, and more than 5,000 print journals and magazines, aiming to support the academic pursuits and intellectual growth of Midshipmen.

Implications for Future Education

The policy changes instituted by the Naval Academy have prompted discussions about the role of educational institutions in shaping discourse around sensitive topics such as race, identity, and inequality. As the institution trains undergraduate midshipmen for careers as officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the implications of these removals are likely to reverberate throughout the academic community.

List of Books Removed:

• How to Be Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
• Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
• Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• Women with Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity by Afsanah Najmabodi
• Critical Race Theory and Education: A Marxist Response by Mike Cole
• Men in Wonderland: The Lost Girlhood of the Victorian Gentleman by Catherine Robson
• Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex by Elizabeth Reis

This report includes contributions from The Associated Press and Fox News’ Rachel del Guidice.