Civilians Seek To Ease Unique Hardships of Black Female GIs

By ANN M. SIMMONS, Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2008

BAGHDAD, Iraq — At a pre-Christmas "packing party" almost 8,000 miles away in Los Angeles in December, Dawn Sutherland's living room was strewn with piles of goodies such as black hair products and manicure sets, T-shirts and the latest issues of Essence and Ebony magazines.

They weren't Christmas gifts for family and friends. They were to go into care packages for "sister soldiers" in Iraq.

Moved by the particular challenges many black women say they face when deployed in war zones, Ms. Sutherland and her book club, a group of professional black women called Sisterfriends, have "adopted" about 40 servicewomen.

"We wanted to reach out as black women to other black women in need," a member of Sisterfriends, Myraline Morris Whitaker, said. "We thought we were looking at our younger sisters. We wanted to get them what they need to make them feel comfortable and make them feel positive about themselves."

Ms. Morris Whitaker, a hotel consultant based in central California's San Luis Obispo County, got the idea to help after a conversation with a former Marine who said one of her strongest memories of being deployed was the struggle her black roommate faced in dealing with her hair.

So Ms. Morris Whitaker began surfing the military support Web site anysoldier.com, a kind of clearinghouse for care package wish lists.

"I was amazed at how many requests there were, especially for black hair-care products," Ms. Morris Whitaker said. "Almost everyone who identified herself as African American asked for haircare products."

But the appeals on the site sparked more than concern about mane management.

"We want to give them nourishment for the soul, as well as for their hair," said Ms. Morris Whitaker, who, independent of her book group, has sent 25 boxes to black military personnel in the past year.

A request sent in April by Sergeant First Class Tamara Williams, 39, of Detroit caught Ms. Morris Whitaker's attention. Sergeant Williams, who is based at Camp Victory in Baghdad, asked for "magazines (People, OK, Essence) anything to keep you sane or laughing," and "DVDs (action, scary, comedy) again, anything to take your mind [off] our current plight momentarily."

Sergeant Williams had just learned of the Defense Department's decision to extend the tours for all active-duty Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan to 15 from 12 months. "Needless to say, we have some very grumpy soldiers," Sergeant Williams wrote on the Web site.

Ms. Morris Whitaker promptly sent many of the items on her list. "I'm forever grateful," Sergeant Williams said recently at Camp Victory, speaking about her experience in Iraq and the gratitude she feels toward people such as the book club members. "It's been a blessing."

There are almost 8,000 blacks among the 25,600 or so women deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries supporting the U.S.-declared "war on terror," according to statistics from the Defense Department.

Many of the experiences, challenges, and dangers black women face are shared by all female soldiers. Many have left children at home. In places such as the Middle East, they have to deal with a culture that largely views men as superior. And female soldiers sometimes feel they must work harder to prove themselves.

Some black female soldiers, however, believe that certain challenges are more acute for them, such as learning not to take offense at the grins, awkward stares, and sometimes overly enthusiastic attention from those Iraqis who have never had direct contact with a black person. They also must deal with some fellow service members' fixed notions about them. And a factor not to be underestimated is the lack of products specifically designed for black hair and skin.

"My hairdresser back home would make a killing if she came out here," said Staff Sergeant Kathaleen Wright, 34, from Augusta, Ga., who is on her second 15-month tour in Iraq. A fuel transporter currently assigned as a noncommissioned officer in charge at Camp Stryker in Baghdad, she wore her straightened hair in a short bob.

The commissaries at the military bases typically have a section of goods such as hair oils and straightening perms for black customers, but these products fly off the shelves as soon as they are stocked, soldiers said. Making matters worse, they sometimes have trouble finding a hairdresser on base who knows about grooming black hair.

The soldiers acknowledged that they sometimes had to assert their authority among Iraqi men, not because they are black but because they are women. They also have problems, they said, with some American service members in Iraq who have preconceived views of black women.

"There are already stereotypes when you come in here, that you don't want to do your part," Sergeant Wright said, noting that she grew up in the projects, which could cause some to typecast her. The frustration, many of the women said, was their sometimes having to fight prejudice within their own ranks while fighting a war.

Eager not to "screw up anything" on her first assignment as a supply sergeant whose duties include keeping account of her unit's property, Quiannette Crowder, 30, of Palmdale, Calif., said she often worked 15-hour days without leaving her station even for lunch. As the sole female supply sergeant in an infantry battalion, she also said she felt like "a loner."

Last year, the book club held two "packing parties" during which they collected enough goodies to fill 64 boxes. Some of the women scoured their closets for things they had bought but never opened, such as toiletries and stationery. Others shopped for T-shirts, socks, and sweats. Many donated used books and magazines.

Ms. Morris Whitaker said the boxes went to black servicewomen in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Sisterfriends members chipped in to cover the costs of mailing. "Usually the general population has more family support and more community support. And a lot of [black soldiers] are over there because they don't have any alternative."

Civilians Seek To Ease Unique Hardships of Black Female GIs

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