According to the Clarion Ledger, the U.S. Coast Guard will see its first Black woman to obtain the rank of rear admiral in April.
Capt. Zeita Merchant, the commander of the Port of New York, will become the highest-ranking Black woman in the Coast Guard’s 233-year history. The Jackson, Mississippi native’s promotion was celebrated and announced at Staten Island Borough Hall on Friday, Feb. 2.
“While this is historic, and I am soon, will soon be the first African-American female to wear their star, be an admiral in the Coast Guard, even what you present me today, it may be for me, but it’s not about me,” Merchant said in her speech. “The journey that I had has been one of sacrifice, has been one of perseverance and of hard work. I did not get here without hard work, but I could not have gotten here without the people from the day I walked in the door.”
She concluded, “Despite only wanting to be in the Coast Guard for three years, it has now turned into 27 years, and this promotion allows people below me to see what they can be with hard work.”
Borough President Vito Fossella also issues a proclamation declaring Feb. 2 Captain Zeita Merchant Day on Staten Island.
Merchant has several historic firsts under her belt, like her position as Commander, USCG Sector New York, where she worked diligently to protect and secure one of the nation’s busiest and most economically important port complexes, which transports cargo worth billions of dollars and millions of passengers annually.
In a statement to the outlet, Merchant credited God for how her life turned out.
“I really feel like this is God’s plan and not my plan,” the Mississippi native said. “I couldn’t even come up with this if I wanted to. My faith and my trust in him was what carried me this far, and I will continue to see what’s next…this is another door that has opened for me, and the sky’s the limit.”
After graduating as the salutatorian of her class at Lanier High School, Merchant attended Tougaloo College and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. The Mississippi native then earned a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University, a Doctorate of Business Administration, and a Master of Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School at New England Institute of Business.
In her over 20 years of service, she has been awarded three Meritorious Service Medals, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, three Coast Guard Achievement Medals, three Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals, and four Commandant’s Letters of Commendation.
Congratulations, Capt. Merchant!
