More than a Label: The Tiffany Burns Story
This exhibit opened March 13, 2006, in honor women’s accomplishments within a man made world, it coincided with the celebration of Women’s History Month. The exhibit was displayed through summer 2006.
Women
have played an active role in our Nations armed forces. During times of
armed conflict, women have contributed by serving on the home front,
following their husbands to battlefields, serving as laundresses and
nurses and even disguising themselves as men in order to fight.
The creation of the WAAC (Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps) in 1942 brought increased opportunities for women. In 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, desegregating the military, it allowed African American Women to serve along side their white counterparts. Despite the race and gender integration, the road to equality was long and challenging.
Tiffany Burns, granddaughter of a World War II veteran, benefited from these advances. Already acquainted with the military from an early age, Tiffany became cadet battalion commander of her Jr. ROTC squad. According to her mother,” She was destined to join the corps of cadets at the United States Military [Academy] at West Point.”
Established in 1802, West Point began a long tradition of military excellence. In 1976, West Point allowed women to join their male counterparts as part of the “long gray line.” Since the first class of graduates in 1980, 2815 women have graduated from West Point. There have been only eight women graduates from the state of Arkansas. In 1982, Anetha Polite was the first African American Arkansas woman to graduate from West Point. Tiffany Burns followed in Polite’s footsteps, becoming the second African American woman from Arkansas to graduate in 1997.
Then Second Lt. Burns went on to have a successful career in the US Army, training as an Military Police officer along with completing training in air assault and airborne school. Burns finished her ten year military career as a West Point outreach officer, mentoring minorities and women.
Captain Tiffany Burns died in 2004. Although her sudden death cut short a promising future, Burns helped carve out a pathway for others to follow. In her application to become a PhD candidate she wrote, “Society labels me as female African American, service academy graduate from the south with athletic ability…I now have an understanding of the impact of my diversity in different settings and I can appreciate it.”
This exhibit was curated in corroboration with the University of Arkansas Public History Museum Interpretation Graduate class.
Photo gallery
West Point Graduates-Arkansas Women
| 1981 | Anetha M. Polite |
| 1990 | Keri Jean Hester |
| 1997 | Tiffany Q. Burns |
| 2001 | Angela N. Alongi |
| Star A. Hy | |
| 2002 | Teresa K. Cripps |
| 2003 | Carol A. Ambrose |
| 2004 | Sarah K. Hyde |
Learn more
The bibliography Women in the Military is in Microsoft Word format. When you click the link, the document opens in a new window. To return to this page, close the window. If you click the link but the document doesn't open, download Microsoft Word Viewer free so you can view and print the document.
