Tianna Spears:
“You held discussions and town halls. As the paint dries, Juneteenth receives recognition, and Confederate statues are destroyed, remember that this is just the beginning.
You ask people of color and Black employees to share their suffering and experiences that were repeatedly dismissed and ignored. There is trauma, mental illness, stolen dreams, nightmares, and whispers that travel around the world in household effects. This isn’t the case just for Foreign Service members that are people of color, but the entire organization.
As employees that are people of color come forward and speak their truth, have you provided paid counseling/ therapy and tangible resources to continue these conversations? You ask my fellow colleagues to do the work for you once again.
You retraumatize.”
Related post: You ask, what is it like to be Black in America? A former @StateDept employee tells her story
Honored to be part of the Juneteenth commemoration to highlight our collective solidarity at an inflection point in our nation’s history. Together, we can promote cultural change, to ensure all @StateDept employees succeed – in an inclusive & unbiased work environment.
— Carol Z. Perez (@StateDG) June 19, 2020
""How is it that I have a shared trauma with someone that started their State Department career before I was born? "
— Diplopundit TEST/TRACE/ISOLATE (@Diplopundit) July 7, 2020
"Dear State Department, you have failed so many people, myself included. You have a responsibility to create change. And the rest of us are waiting to see how you respond.[…] Let’s see if you have what it takes."https://t.co/B06R3NpyN5
— Diplopundit TEST/TRACE/ISOLATE (@Diplopundit) July 7, 2020