Black History

Gen. Charles Quinton Brown, Jr., New U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Followed the Road Less Taken.

After being sworn in last Friday, Air Force General Charles Quinton Brown, Jr. assumed his role as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1. He follows retiring General Mark A. Milley who served as the 20th Joint Chiefs of Staff chair. The chairman is the highest ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces. He is the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.

Published

3 years ago

October 10, 2023

Oakland Post

Charles Quinton Brown, Jr., General, U.S. Air Force, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Official portrait, 2022, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

By Conway Jones

The chairman is the highest ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces. He is the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.

Before being confirmed on Sept. 27 as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brown, who goes by ‘CQ,’ was the first Black service chief in U.S. military history when he became the 22^nd chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force in 2020.

Brown is highly qualified to advise President Joe Biden, and lead in direct support to empower, enable, and equip America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardsmen.

Across decades of warfighting experience, Brown was previously selected to be the Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. The Weapons School is responsible for teaching and reinforcing officer and enlisted instructors to further develop the Air Force and National Guard members to be responsible and accountable for the effective employment of the most lethal weapons systems in the world.

The Weapons School Commandant position is possibly the most competitive, selective Brigadier General assignment in the Department of Defense.” said Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, USAF (Retired), president & CEO, Air & Space Forces Association.

General Brown has a command pilot rating with more than 3,000 flying hours including 130 combat hours. He has ﬂown the F-16 fighters A/B/C/D models, and 20 additional ﬁxed and rotary-wing aircraft.

“It is appropriate that the first Black USAF Chief of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., was a fighter pilot, like the most famous of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II,” said Daniel Haulman, Ph.D., retired Chief Historian, US Air Force.

The first three Black generals in the United States Air Force were Tuskegee Airmen Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Daniel “Chappie” James, and Lucius Theus, Haulman said.

“I am delighted that General Brown is now the second Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first one to come from the United States Air Force,” said Haulman.

General Brown’s promotions through the military ranks to this office are reflected in the last line of the Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken.” “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

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Activism

Mayor Barbara Lee Proclaims April 9 as ‘100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day’

“Today, the 100th day of the year, I proclaim 100 Black Men Day,” said Mayor Barbara Lee standing with newly appointed Oakland Port Commissioner Derek Mohammad, a 100 Black Men member. “Whereas the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area has demonstrated decades of unwavering commitment to uplifting youth and strengthening families and advancing opportunity and access in Oakland and the greater Bay Area with their signature programs…the chapter has impacted thousands of young people and contributed thousands of hours of community service…”

Published

13 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Oakland Post

At D. Monaghan’s on the Hill, a resolution declaring April 9 ‘100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day’ was witnessed by (l.-r.) 100 Black Men leaders Maurice Harold, Marco T. Lindsey, Danny Lee Williams, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, Port of Oakland Commissioner Derek Mohammad, and Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

When Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced that she would proclaim Thursday, April 9, as “100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day,” the organization’s board chairman and owner of D. Monaghan’s on the Hill, Danny Lee Williams knew he wanted to mark the historic moment with fanfare his community could share.

Standing at the podium on the patio of his restaurant in the Oakland Hills, he welcomed about 150 members of the organization and the broader community who gathered to celebrate.

“This is a special day, and we are in the midst of our Economic Empowerment week,” he said. Williams also welcomed four vendors to sell their gifts and accessories during the event free of charge.

Lee shared how as a single parent of two boys, she was grateful to have the organization’s support in mentoring her sons.

“Today, my adult son is a member in Illinois, and I thank the organization for supporting so many Black boys.”

The idea for the proclamation originated with Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who praised the organization for its leadership and contributions to Oakland and the greater Bay Area.

“This work that we do would not be possible without partnerships with organizations like the 100 Black Men,” said Jenkins. “We’re saving lives, restoring communities, and giving people hope and opportunities.”

“This is Oakland,” said Mayor Lee. “This is what we’re about. It’s about new ideas, thinking outside the box and being who we are. It’s about bringing joy. This is our holiday.”

The mayor also thanked the organization for volunteering during Oakland Cleanup days.

Councilmember Janani Ramachandran added that while many complain about problems in the city, “the 100” put in the work.

“It’s hard to be in the community and do the work, but that is exactly what the 100 Black Men does,” she said.

The organization’s economic chair and associate director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the University of California Berkeley’s Business School, Marco T. Lindsey, shared his enthusiasm for change.

“Today is the culmination of our work and something special is happening in our organization and our city,” he said. “We have a special opportunity to show up for our community now in ways that we haven’t had in the past. We have a mayor that supports us and it’s important that each and every one of us do our part. We all need our fingerprints on whatever we want to see in our city.”

Lindsey also expressed that if underserved youth and their parents had access to the resources needed for success, “Our youth wouldn’t be breaking windows and joining gangs if they had a pathway to earn $75k to $100k a year.”

The 100 Black Men were hosts of an Economic Empowerment Forum at McClymonds High School on April 11 educating students on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. On Sat., April 18, they will hold their fifth annual Career Expo at Contra Costa College 2600 Mission Bell Drive (G225) in San Pablo from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 100 Black Men chapter of the Bay Area was established in 1988, one of the earliest in the nation.

For more information visit 100blackmenba.org