By Maryum Saifee
The National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) launched a crowdsourced digital storytelling campaign as part of their #FacingDiplomacy series, March 30. The campaign is focused on building and sharing a more complete history of American diplomacy through added stories of diversity and inclusion.
This project was introduced in partnership with the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (S/ODI) which recently led a successful effort to name the Harry S Truman cafeteria after Ambassador Terence A. Todman. This campaign, inspired by his story, ensures that the Department of State builds a repository of diverse stories in diplomacy for future historians.
#FacingDiplomacy leverages the StoryCorps Connect platform, a free smartphone application for public use, to solicit stories from American diplomats of all backgrounds. When #FacingDiplomacy stories are uploaded through the StoryCorps platform, they are automatically archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. For example, Virtual Student Federal Service Intern Nanayaa Obeng recently interviewed Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ambassador Gina Abercrombie Winstanley as part of the #FacingDiplomacy StoryCorps campaign. The interview was recorded and uploaded to the archive.
S/ODI and NMAD define diplomacy broadly and welcome all members of the American foreign affairs community to participate in this campaign, including Civil and Foreign Service professionals, past and present, as well as family members, locally employed staff, interns, fellows, and contractors. To learn more about this campaign and how to get involved, please visit the landing page here.
Maryum Saifee is a senior advisor in the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
