The Brigade is experiencing something that no other Midshipmen have encountered in the last 100 years. Persistence and Resilience are critical to get through it. How does the history of the Montford Point Marines inform that persistence? Those first African American Marines were locked in and locked down. What lessons can we learn from them. Carl Sharperson is a Naval Academy graduate, and a former Marine Corps pilot. After the Corps, he worked in industry, including a stint as Vice President of an International Sporting Goods company. He is the author of the book, Sharp Leadership: Overcome Adversity to Lead with Authenticity.