Throughout her tour of duty, Anderson often felt isolated. She served as an officer on two guided missile cruisers. On the first, she was one of only two Black female officers. On the second, she was the only Black female officer until another came on board toward the end of her assignment. “Leaders and commanders … should encourage open discussion about racism and sexism in the military,” she says. Here, Anderson is photographed at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Ship Selection Night in January 2013.
