Many cadets, both white and black, have been found to have leadership skills superior to fellow students with higher test scores.

The majority of the story takes place on the South Side of Chicago where the sole graduating black cadet is from.

For most of his time at West Point, he was the only black cadet, and he was ostracized by his white peers.

She also befriended a black cadet who empathized with her efforts to fit into an environment in which she was mostly unwelcome.

At The Citadel, the intruders who harassed the black cadet were punished, though not expelled.

If West Point put half as much effort into minority recruitment as it does in recruiting athletes, the number of qualified black cadets would be higher.

She was the highest-ranking black and Hispanic female cadet in the academy's history, and also helped set a team relay record.

And black cadets faced overwhelming obstacles.

Johnson Whittaker, a black cadet at West Point, is attacked by three fellow students.

He was the first black cadet in the academy's 177-year history to hold the position.