First Black woman makes Brigadier General rank

She was born and raised in a humble, working-class family on the island of Trinidad and Tobago.Now, Alpha Kappa Alpha soror, Allyson Solomon, has become the first Black woman to be promoted to rank of Brigadier General in the Maryland Air National Guard."I have far surpassed my ultimate career goal," Gen. Solomon told The District Chronicles. "I thought I would be a major, and retire to the civilian life."

Gen. Solomon took command of the Maryland Branch of the National Guard June 1st. As the General, she watches over more than 1,500 members of the National Guard, 126 of whom are now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gen. Solomon's journey into military life began when she was born in 1961. Her thirst for law/military service started on her island, where the majority of the men in her family were involved in law enforcement as police officers, including her stepfather.

"I come from a very humble background. I grew up in a working class family," she said.

At the age of 10, she moved to Northeast Baltimore with her family. Later, she attended Loyola College where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in business, and she went on to receive her Master's Degree from Auburn University.

For the past 29 years she has been in The National Guard. During this time, she has climbed the rankings despite the handicap of being a Black female, in a white-male dominated profession.

According to a poll taken in 2005 based on race and gender, 77% of the members of the National Guard were white, and 15% of the members were Black. Seventy-seven percent of the members were male and 23% were female.

As for her success, Gen. Solomon said: "To me, it's all about attitude. You gotta' show up ready to do something. I don't think most people get up in the morning to fail. I don't see obstacles as hardships, I see them as challenges and opportunities to answer the question of how can I make myself grow," she told The District Chronicles. "You have to have persistence. There are always going to be negative people in your ear that doubt you, but you have to turn the voice to another channel in your head."

Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, who chaired the transition team which ultimately selected Solomon as the new Brigadier General of the National Guard, said she has all the tools to be successful.

"She is extremely bright, a visionary, and a great motivator," Lt. Gov. Brown said. "She has the ability to inspire service members to carry out their missions. She shares the Governor's desire to improve the National Guard."

For all that success, however, Gen. Solomon joined the National Guard by accident when she was back in high school. A friend of the family asked her what she planned to do after she graduated. Like most high school students, the future general wasn't sure what her future plans were. The family friend alerted Gen. Solomon to a six-week training for prospective National Guards service.

"I felt I could handle the physical and mental stress of the program," she said. And indeed she can, said Lt. Charles Kohler, public affairs officer for the Maryland National Guard.

"She is very professional," Lt. Kohler said. "She has high standards, and meets them, and she expects everyone else around her to meet them also."

Still, news of her promotion surprised Gen. Solomon, she said. "It was a shock, and definitely unexpected," she said with a laugh. "I had a lot of different emotions. I'm a very low-key person, so I was very humbled at this honor."

While Gen. Solomon is proud of her achievements, she is nevertheless acutely aware of the contributions of others before her on whose shoulders she stands. "Today is not just about me. It is about those who look like me: women and African Americans," she told supporters who gathered in Baltimore last month to honor her on her appointment. "I am humbled by the significance of this occasion. And for that I express my gratitude to those who went before me."

Outside of work, Gen. Solomon enjoys a relatively quiet and relaxing time.

"My favorite activity outside of work is playing golf, but I don't get a lot of time to do it," she said. "I also enjoy listening to jazz music, and sitting down and reading a good book. Some mental down time is very important to balance the stress that life can put on you.