On January 17, while the nation prepared for Inauguration Day, I was glued to my phone. At any moment I could’ve received an email that would have changed my life. That day, decisions for the Donald M. Payne Fellowship for International Development were supposed to be released. The fellowship selected around 30 fellows from underrepresented backgrounds across the country who aspired to work in international development through USAID. I focused my application on my desire to work in disability-inclusive development creating social, economic and political participation opportunities for disabled people.
As a woman of color and disabled woman, I understood firsthand how systems of social participation weren’t accessible for people with disabilities. While this has led to the massive economic and social consequences in the U.S. that the National Partnership has been working to fix, I knew this issue was especially pronounced abroad. As I awaited my decision, I reflected on how life-changing the award would be: a full ride to any master’s program of my choice and five years experiencing the world as a foreign service officer directly making an impact within my community.
But the decision never came. Instead, finalists received an email stating that decisions had been delayed in accordance with USAID. I felt myself entering a dreadful limbo as days turned to weeks. Eventually, rather than receiving an email, I woke up to the news that USAID had been shut down. Heartbroken, I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one. I found community with countless other Fulbright, Payne, Critical Language and many other scholars whose plans were uplifted in an instant as the Trump administration cut foreign exchange programs. I emphasize the word “exchange,” as each and every student aspiring for these awards looked to gain enrichment just as much as they looked forward to service.
These programs are essential for our country’s diplomatic and security efforts. In 2020, estimates showed that the Senior Foreign Service was 90 percent white and 69 percent male. As Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former American Ambassador to the UN, and William Burns, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, wrote even before the Trump administration’s devastating cuts,”Study after study has shown that more diverse organizations are more effective and innovative organizations. At the very moment when American diplomacy could benefit most from fresh perspectives and a closer connection to the American people, the diplomatic corps is becoming increasingly homogeneous and detached, undercutting the promotion of American interests and values.”
The lack of diversity in the foreign service is particularly pronounced for Black Americans, who have steadily represented less than 10 percent of the entire foreign service since 2002. In 2020, less than 3 percent of senior foreign service officers were African American. When we cut programs that aim to diversify a homogenous workforce, we open the door to decreased national security, economic inequalities and discouraged civil servants.
The United States can’t afford to lose so many potential civil servants. But each discouraged worker isn’t just a statistic, they are individuals with aspirations, with communities that count on them and with the capacity to drive meaningful change. If we continue to allow this administration to sideline this talent, we don’t just lose future employees – we lose future leaders.
