Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state and former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff died on Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland from complications from COVID-19, his family members have confirmed. He was 84.
Powell was fully vaccinated. However, he was immunocompromised. His age put him at a higher risk for COVID-19, he was battling a blood cancer, and he also suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
Powell became the nation’s first Black national security adviser during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and served as the youngest and first African American chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush.
Powell was thrust into the global spotlight after leading the United States to victory during the Gulf War, with many people even considering him as a presidential candidate in 1996.
“Being a Black American defined his experience,” Andrew Rich, Colin Powell School dean, said. “He was a trailblazer in every sense. I think he was very aware of the barriers he broke. One of the things he was so proud of was that he knocked open doors and did not close them behind him.”
“The world lost one of the greatest leaders that we have ever witnessed. (Powell’s wife) Alma lost a great husband, and the family lost a tremendous father, and I lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief.
“I feel as if I have a hole in my heart. Quite frankly, it is not possible to replace a Colin Powell.”
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, said Powell “helped a generation of young people set their sights higher.”
“Everyone who worked with General Powell appreciated his clarity of thought, insistence on seeing all sides, and ability to execute. And although he’d be the first to acknowledge that he didn’t get every call right, his actions reflected what he believed was best for America and the people he served,” Obama said of Powell, who broke with Republicans and supported him for president in 2008.
“He never denied the role that race played in his own life and in our society more broadly. But he also refused to accept that race would limit his dreams, and through his steady and principled leadership, helped pave the way for so many who would follow,” Obama added.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the first black woman to hold the office, said Powell “dedicated his life to defending our nation.”
“(He) was an independent thinker and a barrier breaker who inspired leaders in our military and throughout our nation.”
President Joe Biden worked with Powell on many issues including the Gulf War when he was a Pennsylvania senator.
“Over our many years working together – even in disagreement – Colin was always someone who gave you his best and treated you with respect,” the President said.
“Colin led with his personal commitment to the democratic values that make our country strong. Time and again, he put country before self, before party, before all else – in uniform and out – and it earned him the universal respect of the American people.
“I am forever grateful for his support of my candidacy for president and for our shared battle for the soul of the nation. I will miss being able to call on his wisdom in the future.”
Powell was the son of Jamaican immigrants, born in New York City, raised in Harlem and the South Bronx, and graduated from the City College of New York. In June 1958, he entered the U.S. Army after participating in R.O.T.C. and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
“Mine is the story of a Black kid of no early promise from an immigrant family of limited means who was raised in the South Bronx,” he wrote in his 1995 autobiography “My American Journey.”
Powell served two tours in Vietnam beginning in 1962 when he served as an Army adviser to South Vietnamese troops. He was assigned to Vietnam again in 1968. He was promoted up through the ranks and in 1979, at the age of 42, he was promoted to one-star general, becoming the youngest general officer in the Army at the time.
Powell’s rise to the apex of American power has been cited by many politicians over the years as a sign of the nation’s supposed colorblindness — as alleged proof that we have managed to leave racism behind,” wrote Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson.
“But Powell was acutely race-conscious, aware that he was always being scrutinized and judged in ways that a White man would not have to endure.”
City College of New York created the Colin Powell Center to develop student leadership and campus community engagement. The program was renamed the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.
“Being a Black American defined his experience,” Andrew Rich, Colin Powell School dean, said. “He was a trailblazer in every sense. I think he was very aware of the barriers he broke. One of the things he was so proud of was that he knocked open doors and did not close them behind him.”
Spencer Overton, the president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, called Powell “a true leader.”
“He always remembered where he came from and tried to ensure that opportunities would remain open to others – as evidenced by his support of affirmative action and other programs designed to facilitate economic mobility and the full participation of Americans from all backgrounds. His memory will live on as a testament to the importance of working across party lines for Black communities.”
In 20XX, Powell visited the offices of the St. Louis American and met with Publisher Donald M. Suggs and members of the staff.
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) president and CEO, said the Black Press of America will fondly remember General Powell’s contributions.
“We pause to express our profound condolences to the family of The Honorable Colin Powell,” Chavis said.
“We in the African American community mourn his passing and rededicate ourselves to ensure that the legacy of Colin Powell will live on.”
Powell is remembered by many for his 76-minute speech before the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003. He made the case for war to disarm Iraq, presenting photographs, electronic intercepts of conversations between Iraqi military officers, and information from defectors aimed at proving that Saddam Hussein posed an imminent danger to the world.
Two years later, the former general told Barbara Walters of ABC News that his speech to the United Nations had been “painful” for him personally and would forever be a “blot” on his record.
“I’m the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world,” Powell said, acknowledging that his presentation “will always be a part of my record.”
In 1997, Powell founded America’s Promise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping at-risk children. He was twice awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was honored by the NAACP with its Spingarn Medal in 1991.
“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American,” the family wrote upon announcing Powell’s death.
