Celebrating Black History Month with Navy Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Navy Region Hawaii commander Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett is one of less than a dozen African American admirals in the U.S. Navy. It’s a responsibility he says he’s honored to have. HNN Sunrise Weekend anchor Annalisa Burgos caught up with Barnett in his office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, who shared what Black History Month means to him.

From pictures of Doris Miller — the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross — to memorabilia of the Tuskegee Airmen — the first all-African-American Air Force squadron during World War II, Barnett is surrounded by reminders of how far African Americans have come and how much more work needs to be done.

As the U.S. Navy’s representative to Hawaii, he faces a new challenge, helping families devastated by the Navy’s mishandling of the Red Hill crisis and repairing its broken relationship with the community.

“I can tell you that this is my second tour here. So we like to call this our second home,” Barnett said. “Every morning when I come to work, I think of the history particularly as it goes to African American history, Black History Month, whether it’s Doris Miller, that was actually here on the island, whether it was a little known fact, John Coltrane, the great musician, a jazz musician, he was stationed here. So every day I think about the history and not just Black history, but our history as a country as a state. And it’s overwhelming. I mean, I spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on our history, past, present and future,” he said.

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