The Foreign Service Journal, May 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2013 19 white andmale, and had often graduated from a handful of elite institutions. Three decades later, the Service has become largely representative of American diversity in terms of ethnicity/race, gender, geography, age, educational background and work experi- ence.” As she notes, “This success is the result of a variety of recruit- ment measures adopted over the years (some more effective than others), which have steadily increasedminority representation. A 2009 study commissioned by the Department of State concluded that the procedures currently in place for recruitment and testing attract a diverse pool of applicants, and that this diversity also characterizes those who qualify for entry.” But the work is far fromdone, Johnson cautions: “We need new approaches to attract qualified African-Americans and Hispanics.” The numbers bear out both the positive trends and the work yet to be done. According to the Foreign Service promotion statistics published in th e June 2012 issue of State magazine— which were gender-disaggregated for the first time ever—the 2011 overall promotion rate for all eligible generalists was 31.8 percent (29.1 percent for males and 36.8 percent for females). Broken down by ethnicity and race, that rate was 31.8 percent for whites, 27 percent for African-Americans, 29.4 percent for Hispanic-Americans, 40.1 percent for Asians and 50 percent for Native Americans in 2011. The 2011 overall promotion rate for all eligible specialists was 17 percent (17 percent for males and 17.2 percent for females). Broken down by ethnicity and race, that rate was 17.7 percent for whites, 15.6 percent for African-Americans, 14.3 percent for Hispanic- Americans, 14.9 percent for Asians and 11.1 percent for Native Americans in 2011. A Mission-Critical Concern In “Diversity and Cultural Competence,” Ernest J. Wilson III, dean of the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, addresses the diversity issue in terms of the imperative to recruit and retain high-quality talent (p. 21). The new global reality for American foreign policy, he argues, is characterized by what he terms “double diversity.” Domestically, the United States is rapidly becoming a majority-minority country; meanwhile, the rise of powers such as India and China is changing the rules of global engagement, making diversity a factor in power relations. It is not only urgent for the foreign affairs agencies to continue to recruit a more diverse cadre, but to incorporate and engage these talented individuals with diverse perspectives into an organi- zational culture that is welcoming, innovative and generative. This means putting a premiumon what Wilson calls “cultural competence,” which he defines broadly as “the capacity to think, act andmove easily across borders, whether national, cultural or institutional, to pursue one’s goals effectively.” Getting the View from the Advocacy Groups To shed further light on whether the diversity glass is half-full or half-empty, we invited all AFSA affinity groups to contribute their perspectives to this issue. Our thanks to those who did so. Just five years after its founding, Executive Women at State has already become a strong advocate of gender parity and diversity, within the Foreign Service and Civil Service. Cynthia Saboe, its cur- rent president, describes the group’s mission in “EW@S: Support- ing andMentoring Female Leaders” (p. 25). TheThursday Luncheon Group, the department’s oldest employee affinity group, has been “Expanding Opportunities at State for Four Decades” (p. 28). As TLG President Stacy D. Williams notes, while TLG’s mainmission is to increase participation by African-Americans in the formulation, articulation and implemen- tation of U.S. foreign policy, it also supports more general efforts to promote the importance of diversity in strengthening the Foreign and Civil Service workplace. Four years ago, Steven Giegerich contributed a Speaking Out column explaining the reasons he saw “Hope for Gay and Lesbian Foreign Service Employees.” In his follow-up article, “Pride Every Day” (p. 32), he describes the key role Gays and Lesbians in For- eign Affairs Agencies has played over the past two decades (with strong support fromAFSA, it should be noted) tomake many of those hopes a reality. But as he points out, that job is far fromdone. In “Celebrating Our Past, Uplifting Our Future” (p. 36), Morgan McClain-McKinney makes the case that publicizing the contribu- tions of African-Americans to diplomacy and development work can help attract young, diverse talent to those careers. As Margot Carrington notes, she borrows the title of her article, “How Are FS Women at State Faring?” (p. 39), from the question AFSA State Vice President Louise Crane posed in her January 2005 AFSA News column. Then, as now, the answer appears to be: Slightly better than before, but not nearly as well as they should be. Though that article concludes this month’s focus section, we hope our coverage sparks continued debate and dialogue about diversity, both within these pages and in the Foreign Service at large. Please contact us at Journal@afsa.org . Steven Alan Honley was a Foreign Service officer from 1985 to 1997, serving inMexico City, Wellington andWashington, D.C. He has been editor of The Foreign Service Journal since 2001.