The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

AFSA NEWS 60 MAY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A Conversation with the Women Who Produced “The American Diplomat” On Feb. 28, AFSA hosted a panel discussion on the new PBS American Experience documentary, “The American Diplomat, ” which features the lives and careers of three pioneering Black ambassa- dors who overcame historical and institutional barriers to become high-ranking State Department officials. Maria Hart, a member of AFSA’s Governing Board, led the conversation on Zoom with the film’s creators: direc- tor Leola Calzolai-Stewart and co-producers Kiley Kraskous- kas and Rachell Shapiro. The three are also the co-founders of FLOWSTATE Films, a pro- duction company based in the Washington, D.C., area. Their documentary, which aired on PBS on Feb. 15 and is also streaming on the PBS website and app, tells the story of Ambassadors Edward Dudley, Terence Todman and Carl Rowan, who served as diplomats during the height of the civil rights movement and the ColdWar. At a time when the State Department was largely white, the three walked a tightrope, representing American values abroad while challenging segregation and discrimina- tion at home. Calzolai-Stewart said her personal connection to the film’s subject matter fed into her motivation for sharing these particular stories. “My husband’s [been] a diplomat ... for a little more than 20 years,” she said. “We would often go to post and be one of the few—if not the only— Black Foreign Service families within the post community. After a while, you want to dig into why that’s so.” At the same time, her husband met Black diplomats who had begun working in the late 1950s and ’60s and learned how they navigated the early parts of their careers. “These were really inter- esting stories that not many people knew about,” she added. As the ColdWar intensified in the 1950s, Edward Dudley— the first African American to hold the rank of ambassa- dor—argued that the growing movement for decolonization in Africa and Asia made the treatment of nonwhite people a major issue in international affairs. He believed that societies seeking liberation across the developing world looked to America to live up to its values. Today, civil unrest in the U.S. still affects the work of diplomats abroad, Calzolai- Stewart noted. “What happens domesti- cally in terms of racial justice and equality does impact our foreign policy and how we are perceived overseas,” she said. “Ambassador Todman never shied away from an honest conversation about difficult civil rights moments. What a diplomat of color brings to the table is an authentic repre- sentation of their experience in the United States.” In addition to educating the public about the contri- butions of Dudley, Todman and Rowan to American diplomacy and civil rights, the filmmakers also hoped to pose larger questions about systemic inequity. “We hope this film will inspire more people to a Foreign Service career,” said Kraskouskas. “But also, institutionally, we hope it will prompt decision-makers involved in promotion cycles and hiring to think about the nuanced ways [in which] opportunities are created.” Calzolai-Stewart pointed out that the diplomatic service should reflect the American people. “This has to be intentional,” she said. “I believe that [Chief Diver- sity and Inclusion Officer] Ambassador Abercrombie- Winstanley and her team will interrogate this issue to change the culture and pipe- line institutionally.” In gathering the vast amount of visual mate- rial required for a historical documentary, the filmmakers received support from the Dudley, Todman and Rowan families. One memorable moment came when the team brought Jeffrey Rowan, son of Carl Rowan, into the State Department for an interview. Although the briefing room there is named after his father, Rowan had never before had the chance to visit and see the plaque and photograph on the wall.“That was a really touch- ing moment, to witness him seeing that for the first time,” Shapiro recalled. Since its airing, “The Amer- ican Diplomat” has elicited a positive response—both broadly and within the Foreign Service community—and the State Department has arranged screenings at posts overseas. AFSA plans to show the film as part of its upcom- ing Road Scholar programs. Funding for the film was provided by the Virginia Foun- dation for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Firelight Media, Black Public Media, Boston Public Radio’s WGBH and PBS American Experience. The one-hour documen- tary is available at to.pbs. org/3tUGZ6e, and the pan el discussion can be seen at bit. ly/AmerDipPanel. n From left: Rachell Shapiro, Kiley Kraskouskas and Leola Calzolai- Stewart at the State Department. FLOWSTATEFILMS