Racism and African Diplomats...

5fish

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The Cold War, New Nations in Africa , and American Ideals all clash along Route 40 forcing JKF to embrace Civil Rights...

Fitzjohn’s experience became an international incident, prompting a presidential apology and significant publicity. But he was far from the only foreign dignitary to suffer the humiliation of segregation while in the United States. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, African dignitaries and diplomats were repeatedly snubbed, verbally abused and discriminated against when they spent time in the U.S. Their experiences brought international attention to an uncomfortable truth: Despite promoting democracy and fighting authoritarian governments throughout the Cold War, the U.S. did not recognize or uphold the civil rights of people of color.

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The disquieting reality of racial discrimination complicated the United States’ outreach to newly independent African nations. And, says historian Renee Romano, it helped pressure the government to finally throw its weight behind civil rights legislation. “It looked really bad on the world stage,” says Romano, a professor of history at Oberlin College.

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At the time, Africa was undergoing a dramatic shift as emerging states shook off their colonial bonds. In 1960, seventeen African nations declared their independence. It was an exhilarating and precarious moment in international relations, and Kennedy had to determine his approach to the newly minted countries. He saw Africa as a potential hotbed for American-style democracy, and made an effort to welcome and host diplomats from the new nations.
But once they came to the United States along with their staffs, many African dignitaries experienced racial discrimination. Owners and employees of restaurants, barber shops, motels and other establishments in segregated states discriminated against people based on their skin color, not their diplomatic standing, and African diplomats and their staff were caught up in racist incidents.


From this point you will have to read the Article to see how JKF resolved his crisis with African Diplomats... at the link below...

LINK: https://www.history.com/news/african-diplomat-segregation-scandal-jfk
 

Jim Klag

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The Cold War, New Nations in Africa , and American Ideals all clash along Route 40 forcing JKF to embrace Civil Rights...

Fitzjohn’s experience became an international incident, prompting a presidential apology and significant publicity. But he was far from the only foreign dignitary to suffer the humiliation of segregation while in the United States. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, African dignitaries and diplomats were repeatedly snubbed, verbally abused and discriminated against when they spent time in the U.S. Their experiences brought international attention to an uncomfortable truth: Despite promoting democracy and fighting authoritarian governments throughout the Cold War, the U.S. did not recognize or uphold the civil rights of people of color.

Snip...

The disquieting reality of racial discrimination complicated the United States’ outreach to newly independent African nations. And, says historian Renee Romano, it helped pressure the government to finally throw its weight behind civil rights legislation. “It looked really bad on the world stage,” says Romano, a professor of history at Oberlin College.

Snip...

At the time, Africa was undergoing a dramatic shift as emerging states shook off their colonial bonds. In 1960, seventeen African nations declared their independence. It was an exhilarating and precarious moment in international relations, and Kennedy had to determine his approach to the newly minted countries. He saw Africa as a potential hotbed for American-style democracy, and made an effort to welcome and host diplomats from the new nations.
But once they came to the United States along with their staffs, many African dignitaries experienced racial discrimination. Owners and employees of restaurants, barber shops, motels and other establishments in segregated states discriminated against people based on their skin color, not their diplomatic standing, and African diplomats and their staff were caught up in racist incidents.


From this point you will have to read the Article to see how JKF resolved his crisis with African Diplomats... at the link below...

LINK: https://www.history.com/news/african-diplomat-segregation-scandal-jfk
I'm pretty sure Ms. Romano, the only historian cited in the article, doesn't know bupkis. Incidents cited in the article happened during the interim between Eisenhower and Kennedy and in the first week or so of Kennedy's presidency. He had no policy to change yet. His brother, Bobby, as Attorney General, hit the ground running on civil rights. Being new, JFK didn't yet have the cred with Congress which was dominated by segregationist southerners. It took LBJ's massive sway over congress to make substantial progress on civil rights. The State Department had almost zero to do with it.
 

Matt McKeon

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Its Dr. Romano, not "Ms". The article describes an office JFK set up in the State Department to try to smooth the way for African diplomats.

In the Cold War, American racism and segregation was a weapon the Soviets used against us, and part of the rhetoric around the Civil Rights Movement was how Jim Crow tarnished the reputation of the United States. It recalls Lincoln's words about slavery robbing the US of the force of its example of free government.

Treatment of African diplomats certainly didn't drive the Civil Rights Movement, but its small part of the picture.
 

rittmeister

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The article refers to her simply as historian Renée Romano or Romano. There is no "Dr." In the text of the article.
phd from stanford 1996

there are people who don't want that kind of stuff mentioned, though
 

Matt McKeon

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The article refers to her simply as historian Renée Romano or Romano. There is no "Dr." In the text of the article.
Its not a big deal, maybe I was being a little pedantic. Sometimes people, especially women, have their titles omitted by others, for some reason.
 

Jim Klag

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phd from stanford 1996

there are people who don't want that kind of stuff mentioned, though
I wasn't slighting her. I just didn't know she had a PhD.
 

Jim Klag

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there are people who don't want that kind of stuff mentioned, though
I know what you mean. At the last company I worked for there were two PhD's on the engineering staff. One insisted on being called Doctor and the other guy just said "Call me Jack."
 

rittmeister

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I know what you mean. At the last company I worked for there were two PhD's on the engineering staff. One insisted on being called Doctor and the other guy just said "Call me Jack."
that 'jack' probably was the neither nicer guy

edit: i typed bs again
 
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5fish

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It took LBJ's massive sway over congress to make substantial progress on civil rights. The State Department had almost zero to do with it.
This is true if it was not for LBJ strong arm tactics there would not have been the Civil Rights act, Voting Rights act... and ect...

Here is this.. https://www.americanforeignrelation...rican-americans-and-the-diplomatic-corps.html

In August 1961 the Kennedy administration created a task force composed of representatives from the White House, State Department, and local state governments to address the problem of racial discrimination. Because of local entrepreneurs' inability to distinguish between Africans and African Americans and favor the former, public facilities along the Washington-Maryland corridor ultimately had to be desegregated for everyone.

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Perlman argued that foreigners judge the United States by their experiences in its capital and that segregation marred the image of American democracy. The solicitor general thus linked the reform of racial policies in the United States to the nation's best interests abroad.

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To be sure, another consideration that drove reform within the diplomatic corps was the awareness that segregation as a whole made a bad impression on foreigners regardless of race
 
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