This post was written by Madison Abreu, IVLP Fellow at Meridian International Center. It is a part of a blog series highlighting and acknowledging the work and contributions of Black diplomats during Black History Month. Pamela L. Spratlen is an established career foreign service officer and has dedicated her life to public service. She was born in Columbus, OH on July 14, 1954, and was raised in Washington State and California. After graduating from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, Spratlen earned a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1976. She then returned to Los Angeles...

This post was written by Urwah Ahmad, Global Communications Fellow at Meridian International Center. This post is a part of a series highlighting and acknowledging the work and contributions of Black diplomats during Black History Month. Born in Lost Creek, IN, on November 11, 1928, Cynthia Shepard Perry knew from an early age that she had dreams of using language and communication to transcend borders and create lasting connections. During her years at Otter Creek High School, she won various writing contests. In her 1998 memoir All Things Being Equal: One Woman’s Journey, she reflected on this time period as the catalyst for her interest in diplomacy and her...

This post was written by Abigail Haley, Global Communication Fellow at Meridian. It is the first part in a series of blog posts highlighting and acknowledging the work and contributions of Black diplomats during Black History Month. Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett was born a free Black man on October 16,1833, in Connecticut. His father had fled slavery in the South, and his mother was Pequot.   After attending preparatory school in Massachusetts, Bassett was the first Black student at the Connecticut Normal School, known today as Central Connecticut State University. He was an exceptional student who excelled in writing and math....