ABAA Statement on the Life and Legacy of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson
The Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) joins millions of people in our country and around the world in lifting up the life and legacy of the late Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, who passed away on February 17, 2026. We mourn him as a hero for justice and honor his many trailblazing efforts to improve […]
Black Diplomats Say Trump’s Moves Are Pushing People Out of Public Service
Article Credit: Capital B News Featured Image Information/Credit: U.S. Ambassador Pamela Spratlen poses for a photo during a visit to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2016. (Embassy of the United States in Tashkent/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) The policy is part of a wider pattern that sends a troubling signal about who is — and is not — valued […]
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is the 2025 recipient of the AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy
Featured Image Credit: AFSA / Joaquin Sosa Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield became the 31st winner of AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award in an October 1, 2025, ceremony at Georgetown University. She was honored for her deep commitment to the Foreign Service, mentorship, and leadership throughout an eminent diplomatic career, and for her continuing work […]
On Adversity and Grit with Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley
We are pleased to share Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley’s discussion with Caitlin Dallaire for The Public Service Project titled, “On Adversity and Grit with Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley”. Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley reflects on her remarkable public service journey spanning three decades and shares her unfiltered thoughts on some of the most challenging and rewarding moments in her very public diplomatic career. […]
Black U.S. Ambassadors Unfurl the DEIA Banner
The Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) strongly supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in domestic and foreign affairs. We therefore oppose the current Administration’s rollbacks of DEIA requirements. The ABAA believes the November State Department Foreign Service promotions approved for employees who initially were not selected because they did not meet DEIA promotion precepts […]
ABAA Congratulates Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield On Receiving the AFSA Award
AFSA Award Acceptance Speech Linda Thomas-Greenfield – October 1, 2025 Amb. Bodine, Dean Hellman, President Dinkelman, Awardees, Guest, Friends and Family,let me start by offering my deepest gratitude to the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) for recognizing me with this prestigious award. And I thank you for your service to the State Department and for […]
Amb. Pamela Bridgewater’s Memoir Launch
TLG was honored to join members of the Association of Black American Ambassadors, the Pickering Rangel Fellows Association, interagency counterparts, as well as friends and family members of Ambassador Pamela E. Bridgewater (ret.) for the July 12 launch of her book Bridging Troubled Waters: A Memoir. Following the devastating news of July 11 when too […]
Statement of the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) on the Announced Reduction in Force (RIF) at the U.S. Department of State
The Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) expresses grave concern regarding the decision of President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio to gut the world’s best and most effective diplomatic corps through a Reduction in Force (RIF) effective July 11. The administration’s approach represents the worst kind of bureaucratic slash-and-burn tactics. True reform requires careful […]
ABAA Remembers Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, Leader, Diplomat, and Champion for Opportunity
The Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) laments the May 3, 2025, passing of the U.S. Foreign Service’s first African American woman Career Ambassador Ruth A. Davis. She was a pioneering diplomat and great champion of opportunity for all through her contributions to ABAA and other organizations such as the Thursday Luncheon Group (TLG), that […]
ABAA Statement on State Department Reorganization
We represent African American retired Ambassadors. We write to express our serious concern about the proposed reorganization plan for the State Department. To maintain America’s leading position in world affairs, to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships, and to counter America’s adversaries, we need a strong, vibrant, diverse and inclusive State Department, capable of meeting the […]