West Point is investigating this photo of black female cadets

The U.S. Military Academy has launched an investigation into a photo that's been circulating online of 16 black female cadets raising their fists, spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker said Saturday.

Taking photos in traditional dress uniforms as a nod to historical cadet portraits is a West Point tradition, but the raised fists may be seen as a violation of the school's ban on political activity, The New York Times reports. Some think the women invoked Black Lives Matter. The cadets have said that wasn't their intent.

"For them it's not a sign of allegiance to a movement, it's a sign that means unity and pride and sisterhood," said Mary Tobin, a 2003 West Point graduate and a mentor who has talked to the cadets about their photo. "That fist to them meant you and your sisters did what only a few people, male or female, have ever done in this country."

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