A Black former guardsman in the British Army has successfully filed and won a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence in England, citing claims of direct race discrimination, racial harassment, and victimization.
This determination marks the final chapter of his 16-year military service — a tenure made unusual by the former non-commissioned being allowed to wear locs while in the service.
While Dwight Pile-Gray was able to make a career in the military, achieving the rank of lance sergeant, this episode was a glaring example of how racism is rampant in the country’s Army, especially for those below officer rank.
According to his lawyer, Emma Norton, from the Centre for Military Justice, this racial bias is the backdrop of the lawsuit that he ultimately won in October of this year.
Pile-Gray was at the Wellington Barracks in central London in July 2021 and got into a back-and-forth with another soldier. He had entered the barracks dressed in civilian clothes for a medical appointment and stepped out to make a phone call. He realized later he had forgotten his identification inside.
When he tried to return, the white lance corporal on duty refused to let him in.
“Disbelieving that I could be a soldier — he actually stuck his head back into the guard room and said, ‘This gentleman thinks he’s left his ID inside,’” Pile-Gray said during an interview with the BBC.
The lance corporal looked at him in his street clothes, sunglasses, and locs, and continued to give him pushback. It was not until another person recognized him that he was able to come in.
“I was absolutely treated differently because of my appearance. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I understand when there is a racial element to an interaction,” he said.
This was not the first time he had encountered bigoted treatment while serving.
He joined the military at 37 in 2005, initially serving as a musician with the Royal Corps of Army Music and…
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