Leadership with General CQ Brown, Jr.

4 Jul 2023 · 1 min

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A brief interview excerpt from a YouTube video titled "Leadership with General CQ Brown, Jr." In this exchange an interviewer observes that Brown is a role model as the first African American Chief of Staff of the Air Force and asks if he thinks about that responsibility. Brown responds that while he focuses on being the best officer and pilot rather than being defined by race, he recognizes the importance of representation—people aspire to what they see—and says he wants to ensure he is not the last, opening doors so others can reach their full potential in the military.

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I was astonished how few black officers there are. And now you are that role model, the first African American chief of staff of any of the forces. I mean, you've been nominated for chairman and be the second after Colin Powell. But is that part of what goes through your mind? There's a whole group of people who are paying particular attention to you, to learn from you, to follow you. You are a role model.
You know, I would say yes and no. I mean, I think about it, but I don't. Because as I came into the Air Force, I want to be the best Officer, the best F16 pilot, the best commander. Not the best black officer. Best black F16. Best black commander. It's the aspect of you can be anything you want to be and as long as you put your mind to it. And one of the things I think is important for me in this position is I believe people only aspire to be what they see. You never, you know, grow. Decide you want to grow up to be something you've never seen. And ideally, by me being in this position, I, you know, show that, yeah, you can do this, whether you look like me or not. I want to make sure that I'm not the last. I want to make sure the door opens up for others, not just at this level. You know, not everybody gets to be the Chief of Staff of the Air Force or. Or be nominated to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. But it's the opera opening the door so that everyone who joins our military can reach their full potential. That's. I mean, that's what my focus is by, you know, being in this position, because I think that's important.