The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

46 OCTOBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Assignments and promotions at the department are funda- mentally linked to one’s network and opportunity. Therefore, it is important to connect more of our members to senior leaders to expand their networks and opportunities. Without senior leaders making more intentional efforts to mentor, sponsor and provide opportunities to people of color, the department is unlikely to see an improvement in representation at the upper levels. What can we do? SAAEA is in the early stages of developing a pipeline program that would provide sponsorship to employees from the early days of their State career, guiding them toward acquiring the necessary skills, knowledge and networks to reach our senior ranks. Such a sponsorship program would encourage employees to pursue opportunities and assignments that will prepare them to be positive leaders and effective policymak- ers. It would channel people toward applying for positions with more responsibility that they might not otherwise consider, thus creating a cadre ready to excel in the Senior Foreign Service. Of course, SAAEA requires the buy-in of State’s leadership to bring this to fruition. Hearing the voices of employees encour- aging State to create and maintain a level playing field for the advancement and retention of all employees will be critical to our success. As an affinity group, we advocate for institutional change and represent our members’ views directly to senior leaders. SAAEA looks forward to continuing advocacy for the betterment of not just our members, but the State Department as a whole. SAAEA is open to all department employees with an affinity for South Asia, diversity and inclusion. Interested col- leagues can email SAAEA@state.gov. Rona R. Rathod joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and is currently serving overseas at the U.S. consulate general in Mumbai. Before that, she served as a special adviser in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation. Other Washington, D.C., assignments include a year in the Bureau of International Security, a detail assignment to the office of Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), and assignments to the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Inter- national Scientific Affairs, and the Operations Center. Other overseas postings include Lome, New Delhi, Kabul and Vilnius. AAIFAA: Collaborating to Make a Difference By Nadia Farra and Mahmoud El-Hamalawy T he Arab-Americans in Foreign Affairs Agencies (AAI- FAA) employee affinity group is playing a concerted and strategic role in coordination with other employee groups to champion diversity and inclusion in the State Department. As Arab Americans reflect on movements across the country, such as Black Lives Matter, that seek to raise awareness, self-reflection and lasting actions against racism and discriminatory practices, members of the community are simultaneously reflecting on their own identity and how they can contribute their experiences and support to the nationwide discussion. As the name suggests, AAIFAA’s mem- bership goes beyond the State Department and includes foreign affairs and develop- ment professionals at the U.S. Agency for International Develop- ment and at the Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury and Commerce, among others. Many of our members have lineage from across the Arab world; others are interested in the region, Arabic language and culture. This combination strength- ens the community’s collective experience and reach. Many Americans of Arab or Middle Eastern heritage face some of the same biases that other communities experience, but not all. This is why AAIFAA works in coordination with other employee groups to amplify messages about the national secu- rity importance of diversity and inclusion and having a federal foreign affairs workforce that reflects the American people. Arab Americans also have a unique challenge: Because individuals with Middle Eastern or North African ancestry are officially cat- egorized as Caucasian or “white” (a point of contention for many in the Arab American community), there is no disaggregation of data that speaks to the community’s representation or achieve- ments. AAIFAA advocates on behalf of the Arab American com- munity in the federal government by partnering with other employee groups and identifying opportunities for members to ensure those with an “Arab” or “Middle Eastern” background are represented and at the table. The group is also keenly aware that many of its members do not face the type of systemic racism that many of our Black colleagues face both inside and outside the office, including in foreign posts. Hearing the voices of employees encouraging State to create and maintain a level playing field for the advancement and retention of all employees will be critical to our success.