Air Force base leaders speak out against community racism

Col. Catherine Barrington has been stationed in Cheyenne three times since 1998. But she said she never knew she experienced a different community than her fellow airmen.

The commander of the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base discovered not only was her command chief master sergeant encountering racist behavior, but so were families and their students off-base. She came forward in the past two weeks to ask for the support of Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins and Laramie County School District 1 Superintendent Margaret Crespo to address the issue.

“We’ve had children in our schools called a racial slur and get punished for it because it led to a fight,” said Barrington, who is white. “Those children are hurt. They don’t understand why they’re being called that. And the parents are left with the unfortunate responsibility of having to teach their children that they have to learn to endure that.”