And sometimes they let me speak!

Being a Management Officer is sometimes a two-sided sword.  Not only do people assume you're the help, but they also can't believe you know anything except how to run logistics or take abuse.  (Joke!)  Sadly this is something that we get all too often.  When I was applying for Deputy Chief of Mission jobs recently, the very first question asked every single time was, "So what do you think you know about Policy?"  Hey, it's a great question, and one that should be answered.  But looking at my CV, even though I haven't done a job in Policy, you might want to look at my education.  I did graduate from THE George Washington University with a BA in International Affairs, with a focus on International Politics and Latin America.  Just because I'm not in school any more doesn't mean I still don't find those things interesting, you know.  Heck, I wonder if they ask Political and Economic officers what they know about Management work, seeing as how I probably manage more people today than they have in their entire career.

Still, being a Management Officer is sometimes hard, because you get type-cast.  Here's a hint folks: If a Management Officer says he can do something other than Management, take him at his word. Management Officers are usually very results oriented and logical.  If there is an opportunity to do something outside of the Management Cone, they will do a cost benefit analysis in their heads.  They will weigh the pros and cons, and also play out the likelihood of success, and if it is yes, then they move forward.  That's one of the reasons why Management Officers stay in Management.  There is a tangible result in their jobs, which can be quantified.

Anyways, I say this because the Public Diplomacy Section just came out and asked for volunteers to speak at local High Schools on topics for Black History Month.  Since I am a theatre person myself (I killed as Lord Capulet in our High School's version of "Romeo and Juliette" and in the skits we did in College), and also quite a decent public speaker, I volunteered.  They don't give you a topic, you have to bring it yourself.  Now, I could have gone with numerous thoughts, but went with two topics that I'm fairly conversant with.

The first topic is "The integration of Little Rock's Central High School in 1957."  I know this one pretty well, for numerous reasons.  One of them is that I wrote a long essay on Brown v. Board of Education for International Baccalaureate.  Believe me, when you write 15,000 words on a topic, it tends to stick with you.  The second is that I was born in Arkansas, and this is something you just know about.  It's taught, and it's a part of history.  The third is that my family lived through that time.  And by lived through it my Great-Grandmother lived a block from Central High when this was going on, and two of my uncles were in the National Guard at that time.  Plus, my dad went there in 1961, so it was still fresh.  Needless to say, I will have trouble staying within my time limit parameters.

The second topic will definitely be fun, but I'm sure will raise some eyebrows when I walk through the door.  "The origins of Hip-Hop and its influence on American Society."  Yeah, the 37 year old white dude is going to talk about Rap, where it came from, and how it influenced American Society.  There are Foreign Service Officers here that want to go listen to this one.  I think it'll be awesome.  I'll have a slide show, and some music, and we'll have a great time.  Plus, it'll allow me to talk about something I know about that doesn't get discussed all the time.

The Hip-Hop talk happens next Friday, February 7, and the Central High school talk happens on February 11th.  I'll see if I can have them videoed, and I'll put them online.  I will definitely give you guys an idea on how it went, though.

Seriously though, if I'm the first person to introduce Afrika Bambaataa or Eric B and Rakim to these kids, that will be payment enough for me.