Photo By Senior Airman Akeem Campbell | A “Gye Nyame Adinkra” emblem rests on a table, at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of...... read more read more
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“Black History Month is too limitless to encompass in a few words,” said Staff Sgt. Dhani-Sinaan Harris, 8th Operations Support Squadron (OSS) assistant NCO in charge of wing scheduling. “I have always seen it as a period of reflection and expansion in our scope of what we believed it entailed the year before. It is a time to water our roots and nourish the gardens of our minds with knowledge.”
Harris has a deep passion about African culture and is very knowledgeable about his roots and where he comes from.
“I’m from everywhere,” Harris said. “I have roots based in Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica and Ireland to name a few, but I was born and raised on the land of the Powhatan, Chickahominy and Youghtanund people—colonized today as Richmond, Virginia.”
With a thirst to experience different cultures, and recommendations from his father and friends, Harris decided to join the Air Force. He initially had a plan to only serve for four years get his education and separate.
“As I have grown over the years and become more honest with myself, I’m realizing this decision to join the Air Force was stemming from a deep desire within me to travel & see the world,” Harris said. “I have always been inherently curious about the world around me and fascinated by different cultures.”
During his seven years in the Air Force, he has gained the respect and admiration of his peers and superiors.
“When I think of a successful Airman, I think of someone who commits to all three Air Force core values just like SSgt Harris,” said Master Sgt. Desirae’ Coke, 8th OSS section chief of current operations and host aviation resource management. “He shows his integrity by being honest with himself and with other Airmen. He demonstrates Service before Self by putting his own needs, wants and desire on the back burner at times to carry out the mission, and setting high standards and maintaining discipline with himself such as punctuality and he displays excellence in work output and observance of work values and ethics.”
It’s not a surprise to hear those words about Harris. In 2017 he deployed to Ramstein, Germany, where he represented and led Team USA’s track team to the championship on June 18-22 at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s, Allied Air Command International Track and Field Competition and Training Camp. Not only was he awarded a bronze Medal for the 800-meter dash and a gold medal for the 4X400 relay race. He also earned the 15th Special Operations Squadron Airman of the Year award and was awarded the 1st Special Operations Wing Diamond Sharp award twice. This is still just a few of this Airmen’s many accomplishments.
Now stationed at Kunsan Air Base, Harris recently joined the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I) team in the 8th OSS as the team facilitator. He is also the event coordinator and historian for the Black Airman Cultural Committee (BACC).
“I joined the DE&I team because I wish to embody DE&I in every aspect of my life as it is something I yearn to see more of in this world,” Harris said. “There is so much beauty in exposing yourself to wide spectrums of people that come from all over and have their own stories to tell. I joined the BACC with the intention of keeping myself grounded and anchored in the story of my roots. It was an opportunity to connect with other members within the community while being seen and heard on a deeper level especially when stationed in foreign country.”
In celebration of Black History Month, BACC is slated to make a Black History Month Power Panel. The goal is to bolster communication among Airmen from various AFSCs, ranks, genders, sexualities, ethnicities, nationalities and more.
As an African American, who is composed of a melting pot of ethnicities, there are times when Harris gives some thought about his role as an African American Airman.
“There is a sense of awkwardness that usually shows up in the form of embarrassment as I often see myself as a walking paradox,” Harris said. “On one hand, there is this sense of pride in being one of the few and on the other hand there is this pressure—almost like a sense of responsibility that sometimes feels like a burden that I am an ambassador for my people.”
However, he finds solace with his time in the military by not only supporting the mission but also a mission of his own.
“I am here to bring about change by showing up exactly as I am,” Harris said. “I am here to shed light on issues that the Air Force may not see. I am here to see and be seen so that others may do the same.”
As he continues to serve, Harris spreads knowledge and awareness of African culture with the intention to bolster unity within the Black community.
“If I could leave a word of advice to my community, I urge you all to deepen your relationship with one another,” Harris said. “Start within, read up on your history, explore your ancestry & roots, adjust your identity as needed and anchor yourself in like a tree grounds itself into the earth. Remember to nurture those roots of your tree with knowledge and personal/cultural rituals as it serves as the foundation of who you are.”
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2023 01:27 |
| Story ID: | 438686 |
| Location: | KUNSAN AIR BASE, BUSAN GWANG'YEOGSI [PUSAN-KWANGYOKSHI], KR |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Excellence in all he does: A SSgt Harris story, by SrA Akeem Campbell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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