The Foreign Service Journal, October 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2014 53 AFSA NEWS GRIFFITHJ.DAVIS On July 14, the U.S. Agency for International Develop- ment hosted the daughter of one of the first African-Amer- ican Foreign Service o•cers to serve in its ranks. Dorothy Davis, daughter of Gri•th J. Davis, made a pre- sentation at a brown bag lunch on USAID’s history from the per- spective of someone who served at the time of its creation. The event was sponsored by USAID’s O•ce of the Administrator and the O•ce of Civil Rights and Diversity, in partnership with the Blacks in Government Employee Resource Group. Gri•th J. Davis joined the U.S. Foreign Service in the early 1950s, becoming one of the pioneers of President Harry Truman’s Point Four Program for foreign aid, the forerunner of the present-day USAID. Dorothy Davis spoke about her father’s work, drawing from a report he wrote at the conclusion of his four-year mission to Liberia in 1957. Gri•th Davis was also a skilled photojour- nalist and had worked as a correspondent for Ebony magazine, among other publi- cations. He used this talent in his Foreign Service career to convey information on situa- tions in the field. In addition to serving in Liberia, Davis’s career included posts in Tunisia and Nigeria. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1985, and died in 1993. Ms. Davis presented USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah with a vintage photo- graph her father took while in Liberia (which tied for second place in the 2011 USAID/ Frontlines 50th-anniversary photo contest). The photo depicts a Liberian woman walking alongside an iron ore train; the railroad system in Liberia was supported by the Point Four Program. Also attending the event were USAID Counselor Susan Reichle and AFSA Vice Presi- dent Sharon Wayne. n –Chioma Dike, USAID Sta‡ Assistant A USAID History Lesson PATRICIAADAMS AFSA HOLDS TOWN HAL L MEET I NG FOR STATE CONST I TUENCY AFSA’s priorities, plans and progress were presented to AFSA’s State Department constituency in a town hall meeting with AFSA President Robert J. Silverman and State Vice President Matthew Asada. The “AFSAMid-Term Review,” held on Aug. 21 at AFSA headquarters, gave active-duty State members the chance to hear from their constituency vice president and president over lunch. Silverman opened the well-attended meet- ing, possibly the first of its kind ever held at AFSA, and encouraged the audience to ask questions and participate in the discussion, as the event was also an opportunity for AFSA to solicit feedback and comments. Asada then took the floor and outlined the agenda for the meeting. He began with AFSA’s 2013-2015 Strate- gic Plan, which outlines priorities and guides AFSA’s e‹orts. Silverman followed with remarks on advocacy and a review of AFSA’s work on a number of issues, including overseas comparability pay and the ambassadorial confir- mations. Asada concluded with a discussion of AFSA’s outreach e‹orts, including the annual report, the quarterly State VP updates and surveys and webinars. A lively question-and-answer session followed. To see a video recording of the entire event, visit www.afsa.org/video. NEWS BRIEF Dorothy Davis at USAID. Gri“th J. Davis took this photo when he served in Liberia in 1952. The iron ore railroad was supported by President Truman’s Point Four Program.