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Air Force will not celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth

By Mary Shinn February 3, 2025 | updated 6 months ago

The Air Force will not use official resources to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Juneteenth, in addition to other cultural awareness holidays and months.

An Air Force memo sent out Friday listed holidays that were not included in an official Department of Defense news release sent out on the same day. The DOD statement said “Identity Months Dead at DOD” within the military and it will not use any official resources to mark months, such as Black History Month.

In addition to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, the Air Force memo listed Women’s Equality Day and the Holocaust Remembrance Day/Days of Remembrance as holidays that will not be officially celebrated.

Department of Defense announces ‘identity months are dead’

The Air Force memo mirrored language in the DOD new release that said service members will be allowed to go events in their spare time and installations, units and offices are encouraged to celebrate individuals.

“We are proud of our warriors and their history, but we will focus on the character of their service instead of their immutable characteristics,” it said.

CulturalAwarenessMonths.jpg

The text of an Air Force memo listing cultural awareness holidays that will not be recognized.

CulturalAwarenessMonths.jpg

The text of an Air Force memo listing cultural awareness holidays that will not be recognized.



The memo was circulating on social media over the weekend and the Pentagon authenticated it on Monday.

The months the DOD listed in its official news release were National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month.

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AirForceList_CulturalAwareness.jpg

The list of cultural awareness holidays and months the Air Force will not use official resources to mark.

AirForceList_CulturalAwareness.jpg

The list of cultural awareness holidays and months the Air Force will not use official resources to mark. 



The announcements followed President Donald Trump’s executive order ending all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and putting all employees focused on those programs on leave.

Last week, the Air Force’s acting assistant secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs issued a memo clarifying that equal opportunity programs and policies will remain in place, even though all DEI efforts are ending. Equal employment opportunity offices investigate claims of harassment and discrimination.

Trump diversity order hits federal workers in non-DEI jobs, Washington Post says

The memo also asked offices to take down all materials that promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. It also requires materials that promote affinity groups and targeted recruitment efforts come down.

The materials include all logos, graphics, or other references on websites, emails signatures, trainings or imagery, the memo stated.

Offices were required to submit the actions taken to achieve compliance by the end of the day Monday, it said.

Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazette.com or (719) 429-9264.

Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazette.com or (719) 429-9264.

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Mary Shinn

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