The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

J U N E 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 49 American Foreign Service Association • June 2011 AFSA NEWS O n April 8, AFSA held a rally aimed at showing support for thousands of foreign and civil service workers. AFSA members were joined by employees from the State De- partment, USAID, FCS, and FAS. More than 100 people gath- ered outside the State Department in the Edward J. Kelly Park at noon, waving American flags, holding handmade signs and cheering. They gave up their lunch breaks and braved a chilly drizzle to show their support for their fellow federal workers. AFSA President Susan Johnson stated, “The men and women of our civilian agencies are dedicated to patriotic serv- ice on behalf of the American people, just as our brothers and sisters in the military are… We are here to speak out on the im- portance of diplomacy and development and the work we do to protect our national security and to promote our national pros- perity.” A State Department employee expressed the importance of the role public servants play by stating, “We are directly affect- ing people’s lives every single day, and we need to keep work- ing!” The crowd chanted, “We want to serve! We want to serve!” “When people think of federal workers, they don’t put a face to the employee — but we are not faceless. We are patriotic people who work on behalf of the United States,” said USAID AFSA VP Francisco Zamora. “We, members of the Foreign Service, are who the rest of the world sees most often, we are in more than 100 countries around the world representing the United States. When they see us, they see the United States.” The rally drew a large contingent of media outlets, with in- ternational and domestic coverage by the BBC,Al-Jazeera, Japan Fuji TV, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, AP, C-SPAN and the Washington Post , among others. See page 51 for photo montage of the rally. AFSA Holds “Rally to Serve America” BY STEFAN GEYER, AFSA STAFF Foreign affairs agency personnel came to express their desire to serve and their displeasure with the threat of a government shutdown. DONNA AYERST DONNA AYERST