• Colonel Pipes was a defendant in the case, Students For Fair Admissions vs The United States Air Force Academy as she was the head of USAFA admissions. SFFA alleges deliberate considerations placed on race rather than academic merit when considering admissions. Their primary evidence came about when the demographics of the incoming class of 2028 were released to the public, of which, over 38% of the cadets were ethnic minorities – the most diverse class in the academy’s history.
• In 2021 Colonel Pipes authored an opinion piece titled, “We need radical change to fix the racial disparity in our Air Force” that was published in Air Force Times.
  • Claims that she pays a “diversity tax” because she is a black woman.

    “We underrepresented airmen often pay what I call a diversity tax. In my case, I pay a Black tax, a woman tax, and a Black woman tax. And while I believe we should all pay our fair share of taxes for the greater good — that’s a lot of taxes and it becomes taxing.”

    “If you don’t understand what I mean by this tax, just ask your average white male colonel how many Black History Month luncheons or MLK services he’s put on; how many Making Excellence Inclusive committees he’s chaired, how many diversity panels he’s led or participated in. Ask him how many times he’s been charged to lead Diversity and Inclusion efforts, or initiatives or discussions in his career. Then ask me. As with all inequitable taxation, the result is inequality.”

• Her article argued that the Air Force should tackle “racial disparities” in their leadership by implementing reinforced, pro-DEI policies. Among her proposed solutions were to:
  • Emulate the DEI policies of NASA
  • “NASA has been extremely successful in increasing its diversity and creating more inclusive environments by changing the messages sent and making the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan the responsibility of every employee. NASA elevated the authority of its Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and the ODEO has a seat at the table for all high-level agency decisions, briefings and forums with the charge of bringing issues affecting equality, equity, and diversity to the attention of senior leaders in all cases.”
  • Required Leadership To Create and Enforce A DEI Strategy.
  • “NASA’s executive leaders (general officer equivalents) are required to champion a strategy outlined in the plan and brief progress to the administrator.”
  • Requiring the USAF to partner with HBCUs and “Hispanic-serving institutions”
  • “…strengthening the Air Force’s partnership with local institutions of higher learning including, but not limited to, historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions and being held accountable by the Air Force chief of staff for those lines of effort.”
  • Pipes told reporters in 2023 that it was her goal to attract more women to USAFA.

Photo Source:  U.S. Air Force