🎺 A Marine Band Marches to the Beat of History… Until It Doesn’t
Ah, the United States Marine Band—aka “The President’s Own”—a fine musical institution founded way back in 1798 by folks who probably thought powdered wigs were edgy. Thomas Jefferson even gave it that catchy nickname. For centuries, they’ve been the White House’s in-house DJ, performing at state dinners, inaugural balls, and, occasionally, ceremonies that don’t involve someone shouting, “You’re fired!”
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Fast forward to modern times, when the band decided to do something refreshingly progressive: judge a competition for teenage musicians, mostly students of color, who would win the honor of performing alongside these uniformed virtuosos. A dream gig for 30 talented students, scheduled, set, and ready for a standing ovation. That is, until politics piped in and someone hit the mute button.
🚫 Executive Orders: Because Who Needs Diversity When You Have Uniformity?
Enter stage right: former President Donald Trump and his executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies and, hilariously enough, even the military. In a move that’s the bureaucratic equivalent of flipping over the Monopoly board, Trump declared DEI efforts “immoral” and a “public waste.” That’s right, helping young musicians from marginalized backgrounds was deemed more scandalous than, say, late-night Twitter rants.
The Marine Band, ever the loyal soldiers, sent out the most polite, soul-crushing email: Sorry kids, no concert—executive orders are orders, after all.
🎷 Melodies Muted, But Resistance Amplified
But here’s the kicker—these young musicians weren’t just anyone. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American teenagers who had outplayed, outpracticed, and out-hustled their competition. One of them, 18-year-old Rishab Jain, a high school senior with an acceptance letter from Harvard (no big deal), summed it up best: suppressing art, he said, is suppressing humanity.
Cue heartbreak and outrage. You could almost hear Sousa rolling over in his grave, cymbals crashing.
🥁 Veterans Strike a Chord: Meet America’s Own
What happened next would make any satirical playwright weep with joy. Veterans of America’s military bands—Marine, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, you name it—stood up, grabbed their brass, and said: Not today. They formed what you might call “America’s Own,” an impromptu, multicultural, multigenerational orchestra determined to give these kids their moment.
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From Los Angeles to West Point, retired musicians paid their own way, rearranged their schedules, and showed up ready to play. Jennifer Marotta, a former Marine band trumpeter, summed it up perfectly: “I challenge anyone to come to me and say this concert does damage to the United States. It doesn’t. It brings out the best of us.”
Mic drop. 🎤
🎶 Strathmore Symphony: The Concert That Wasn’t Meant to Be, But Had to Be
At Strathmore Music Center near D.C., with travel costs crowdfunded and rehearsals buzzing, those silenced students finally performed. The absence of the Marine Band? Barely noticed—because the retirees, mentors, and the sheer resilience of these kids made sure the music roared louder than any executive order could muffle.
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The repertoire included classics by Sousa and Shostakovich—an ironic nod to the Marine Band’s own history, but played by a band that looked like actual America. Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, Native, retired Marines, Navy vets, and teens who simply wanted a shot at being heard.
📊 Data, DEI, and Denial: Let’s Talk Numbers, Shall We?
If you’re thinking, “Was this all necessary? Aren’t we post-racial by now?”—spoiler: Nope. American orchestras remain 80% white. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) still handles 100,000 discrimination claims every year. And rescinding protections dating back to 1965 isn’t exactly the way to win “Most Welcoming Country” on the global stage.
Former EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez put it bluntly: Denying people opportunity isn’t moral, it’s discriminatory. But sure, let’s pretend colorblind meritocracy exists while we watch yet another door get slammed shut.
🎤 The Final Note: Whose America Is It Anyway?
What’s wild is that a concert originally designed to promote inclusion ended up revealing just how allergic certain power structures still are to diversity. Yet, through the efforts of retired service members, nonprofits like Equity Arc, and young musicians refusing to be sidelined, the message rang clear:
Diversity doesn’t weaken us—it harmonizes us.
You can cancel concerts. You can issue executive orders. But try canceling the determination of a kid from San Antonio, or a clarinetist from Pennsylvania, or a Marine vet willing to pay her own airfare to ensure fairness takes the stage.
So here’s the encore question: In an America supposedly built on liberty and justice for all, why does equity still need to fight for a mic?
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