Air Force Lt. Gen. addresses cadets about racism incident

ladies and gentlemen you may have heard that some people down on the prep school wrote some racial slurs on some message boards if you haven't heard that I wanted you to hear it from me if you're outraged by those words then you're in the right place that kind of behavior has no place at the prep school head has no place at you Safa and it has no place in the United States Air Force you should be outraged not only as an airman but as a human being and I'll tell you that the appropriate response for

horrible language and horrible ideas the appropriate response is a better idea so that's why I'm here that's why all these people are up here on the staff tower so let me have everybody who's up here please pull forward to the rails also there are so many people here they're lining the outsides along the windows these are members of the faculty coaching staff a OCS EMTs from the airfield from my staff from my headquarters all aspects of the 10th Air Base Wing all aspects that make up you Safa and the United States Air Force Academy leadership

is here you heard from Brigadier General Goodwin brigadier general Armacost is here colonel block from the athletic department is here mr. Knowlton is in Washington DC right now that's why they're here that's why we're all here because we have a better idea some of you may think that that happened down in the prep school and doesn't apply to us I would be naive and we would all be naive to think that everything is perfect here we would be naive to think that we shouldn't discuss this topic we would also be tone-deaf not to think about

the backdrop of what's going on in our country things like Charlottesville in Ferguson the protests in the NFL that's why we have a better idea one of those ideas the Dean brought people together to discuss Charlottesville because what we should have is a civil discourse and talk about these issues that's a better idea we received outstanding feedback from that session at Charlotte stone but I also have a better idea and it's about our diversity and it's the power of the diversity the power of the four thousand of you and all of the people that are

on the staff tower and lining the glass the power of us as a diverse group the power that we come from all walks of life that we come from all parts of this country that we come from all races we come from all backgrounds gender all makeup all upbringing the power of that diversity comes together and makes us that much more powerful that's a much better idea than small thinking and horrible ideas we have an opportunity here 5,500 people in this room to think about what we are as an institution this is our institution and

no one can take away our values no one can write on a board and question our values no one can take that away from us so just in case you're unclear on where I stand on this topic I'm going to leave you with my most important thought today if you can't treat someone with dignity and respect then you need to get out if you can't teach someone from another gender whether that's a man or a woman with dignity and respect then you need to get out if you demean someone in any way then you need

to get out and if you can't treat someone from another race or a different color skin with dignity and respect then you need to get out reach for your phones I'm serious reach for your phones okay you don't have to reach for your phone so I'm going to give you an opportunity to reach for your phones grab your phones I want you to videotape this so that you have it so that you can use it so that we all have the moral courage together all of us on the staff tower lining the glass all of

us in this room this is our institution and if you need it and you need my words then you keep these words and you use them and you remember them and you share them and you talk about them if you can't treat someone with dignity and respect then get out