The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2023 49 AFSA NEWS AFSA Co-Sponsors “Diplomacy, Dissent and the Holocaust” Film Screening AFSA Meets with FirstGens@State On March 23, the State Department held the special event, “Diplomacy, Dissent and the Holocaust: Speaking Out, Then and Now,” in the William J. Burns Auditorium. Online viewers joined in-person attendees for a screening of curated clips from the 2022 PBS docu- mentary, “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” directed by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, followed by a panel discussion moder- ated by U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain. The event was co-spon- sored by AFSA, the depart- ment’s Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, and the newly revived Secretary’s Open Forum. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman delivered opening remarks. The film, she said, “calls us to be the voices of conscience when the times demand it. That implores us to see dissent as not merely our right as Americans but our duty as public servants—as advo- cates of policies that give life to our principles. For if ‘never again’ is to mean something, then silence is inadequate and neutrality unacceptable when events worldwide cry out for more.” Panelists included AFSA State Vice President and former Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Tom Yazdg- erdi; FSO Elisabeth Zentos; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum historian Rebecca Erbelding (featured in the film); and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Sta- bilization Operations Colleen Crenwelge. Topics covered ranged from the role of the State Department and foreign policy makers in atrocity prevention to the functions of today’s Dissent Channel. n PBS On March 30, AFSA leader- ship met virtually with mem- bers of the State Depart- ment’s newest employee organization, FirstGens@ State. Founded in November 2022 to support State Department employees who are the first in their families to obtain a college degree in the United States, FirstGens@State already has more than 150 members. Their goal is to heighten public and workforce awareness of the challenges FirstGens and individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds face; to develop resources, sup- port, and a workplace culture to help FirstGens thrive; and to focus on developing an environment that maximizes retention. They also seek to provide a network of social and profes- sional support for people who participated in any of the Depart- ment of Education’s TRIO programs (eight programs to assist eligible but disadvantaged students). FirstGens@State membership is open to all State Depart- ment employees, as well as employees from interagency partners working at the department or operating in any U.S. embassy or consulate. For questions, email FirstGensState@ state.gov or join their Teams channel, FirstGens@State. n DACOR Needs Our Support DACOR President James Dandridge II is appealing to the foreign affairs commu- nity for donations toward the preservation of DACOR Bacon House, the 200-year- old mansion where the organization is based. In a letter to AFSA, Dandridge wrote that the house is in need of urgent repairs: to buttress a garden wall in imminent danger of collapsing and to address other critical concerns uncovered by the mansion’s Historic Structure Report. With these needs in mind, DACOR requests contributions to the $250,000 fund it is raising from various diplomatic organizations and DACOR members so that the house and garden can continue to be enjoyed by all in the foreign affairs community. For those interested in providing support, tax-deductible contributions may be made by check (with the designation “Garden Wall”) mailed to DACOR, 1801 F Street NW, Wash- ington, DC 20006; online at www.dacorbacon.org/donate (with the notation “Garden Wall”); or by phone to Director of Development Jared Hughes at (202 682-0500, ext. 23. n DACOR