THE TIMES Blessed Are the Peacemakers
African Masters of Statecraft By Stephen G. Hall, Ph.D. The recent events in Ukraine demonstrate the impact of globalization and diplomacy. The Russian invasion of a former East European satellite state has sparked a worldwide hot and Cold War. While Russia engages in a hot war against Ukraine, Western Europe, the European Union, NATO and the United States are using diplomacy and Cold War strategies to blunt the impact of the invasion and weaken the Russian economy. Throughout this conflict, diplomacy has been at the forefront. The 21st century is a vast departure from the 20th. Today, more blacks and women are firmly ensconced in the upper echelons of U.S. foreign policy, from Avril Haines at Intelligence and Lloyd Austin at Defense to Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. While their presence is pathbreaking, it is not new. Blacks have long played a role in setting the diplomatic imperatives of the nation. Indeed, other than the military, diplomacy is one area in American life and in the world where blacks have found many opportunities for advancement. Diplomat Ralph Bunche encouraged this after World War II: “There are going to be all kinds of jobs [in the United Nations’ set-up] and Negroes should attempt to get jobs on all levels.”
Roots of Diplomacy
If we travel back to the 19th century, black diplomats were few and far between, but they existed. Well-known African American abolitionists, lawyers and college-trained individuals served in diplomatic capacities. Four of the early ministers and consuls were John Mercer Langston, Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglass and Richard Greener.
Richard Theodore Greener , U.S. Diplomat
John Mercer Langston, U.S. Minister to Haiti Courtesy of the Everett Collection
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BAVUAL:
The African Heritage Magazine
| Spring 2022
