Why we exist

Many leave the military in pieces, not whole.

After retiring from the military, I’ve spent time with other veterans, and during those moments, I kept hearing the same pattern: veterans saying they are often misunderstood, and that many haven’t considered themselves veterans. Reintegration back into society is often the most difficult time in our lives that goes unnamed.

So when we walk into spaces, we either shrink ourselves down to fit, or we go right back into the noise of the grind culture without anyone ever stopping to genuinely ask who we were before, who we became during, and who we're still becoming now that it's over. So our experiences and stories become disconnected silence.

Black Veterans Becoming Collective exists so we connect through our unique experiences beyond the surface. Here, we reflect on the Before, the During, and the Becoming together. We see each other's individual, unique skills, gifts, and experiences, bring them together, and view them through a much longer historical lens rooted in our collective identity, while applying our history for a brighter future.

— Camille Breaux, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Founder