The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2015 23 the types of harassment and inequality that nationals face in those countries. SD: Can you tell us about your experience in Uganda and elsewhere, any examples of times when you worked on promoting toler- ance and reducing discrimination? RB: Over the course of my career, I’ve worked in a number of roles that have dealt with promoting tolerance and reducing discrimination, mostly between either religious or ethnic communities. But the principle of equality remains the same, regardless of the identity of the group. As a refugee coordinator in the African Great Lakes Region, which was one of my most meaningful tours in the Foreign Service, I spent a lot of time working in dis- placement camps and with some amazingly dedicated staff within U.N. agencies, the Red Cross and local organizations to care for those who had largely been the victims of tribal or ethnic strife. A key element there was reintegrating people into their communities and sending the message that diversity is a strength, not a point of division. That’s an essentially American viewpoint, isn’t it? E pluribus unum—out of many, one. In my work in South Africa on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief account, I worked with organizations seeking to stop discrimination against HIV-positive individuals. But I’d also note that it took my last tour in Amsterdam, a place renowned for its historical tolerance, to learn that while tolerance is a commendable step forward from division, con- flict and persecution, it isn’t enough of a goal in and of itself. Tolerance is a point along our path to the embrace of diversity. SD: Can you share any particular successes and/or times when progress was not possible? RB: I’m proud of my work in South Africa with the organiza- tion Mothers2Mothers, which works with HIV-positive mothers to provide proper health information and to care for, educate and empower young women. While my experiences with the organization related to its first sites in the townships surround- ing Cape Town, they’re now working extensively throughout Africa and elsewhere. On the flip side of success, I do recall writing and submit- ting, with mission support, the draft human rights report on Uganda in 1998 and 1999, which included a reference to hard- ships experienced by the LGBT community. Report editors in DRL at the time removed the material, indicating that this didn’t fall within our concept of human rights at that time. Now, DRL is the engine that drives our efforts. That’s a pretty positive change in my book. SD: What lessons did you learn from those experiences, and what lessons will you bring to the new position? RB: I learned to be persistent, consistent and not confuse progress with perfection. Progress and pragmatism will guide my efforts, and we’ll need to work to realize that in some places, our successes will be measured in small, but impor- tant, ways. It would be a mistake to think that just by applying greater political pressure the United States can effect a change of hearts and minds or of policy. Engagement to promote greater human rights observance across the board by speaking clearly and openly to govern- ments is important, but it’s not going to achieve the results we’d like in every case—particularly in more difficult environ- ments. That will take a broader, more nuanced and sometimes In commemoration of the victims of 9/11, Consulate General Amsterdam has an annual event to give back to those less fortunate. Here Randy Berry and staff member Heidi Westfa are frying hamburgers for an Amsterdam homeless shelter in October 2014. EDGARVANDEBURGT/CONSULATEGENERALAMSTERDAM