Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On Februrary 8th, the Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a screening of The American Diplomat, a documentary exploring the lives and legacies of three African-American ambassadors — Edward R. Dudley, Terence Todman and Carl Rowan — who pushed past historical and institutional racial barriers at the U.S. Department of State during the civil rights movement. Through rare archival footage, in-depth oral histories, and interviews with family members, colleagues and diplomats, the film paints a portrait of three men who created a lasting impact on the content and character of the Foreign Service and changed American diplomacy forever.
The screening was followed by a virtual Q&A panel discussion with Leola Calzolai-Stewart, director of The American Diplomat and filmmaker, Dr. Michael Krenn, Professor at Appalachian State University and author of Black Diplomacy: African Americans and the State Department, 1945-1969 and The Color of Empire: Race and American Foreign Relations, and James Dandridge II, President of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers Foundation, former Foreign Service Officer and friend of Ambassador of Terence Todman. Erika Manouselis, Manager of the Future of Diplomacy Project, and Korde Inniss, MPA 2023 and Belfer Young Leader Fellow, served as moderators.
For more information: belfercenter.org/event/american-diplomat-screening-panel-discussion
On Februrary 8th, the Future of Diplomacy Project hosted a screening of The American Diplomat, a documentary exploring the lives and legacies of three African-American ambassadors — Edward R. Dudley, Terence Todman and Carl Rowan — who pushed past historical and institutional racial barriers at the U.S. Department of State during the civil rights movement. Through rare archival footage, in-depth oral histories, and interviews with family members, colleagues and diplomats, the film paints a portrait of three men who created a lasting impact on the content and character of the Foreign Service and changed American diplomacy forever.
The screening was followed by a virtual Q&A panel discussion with Leola Calzolai-Stewart, director of The American Diplomat and filmmaker, Dr. Michael Krenn, Professor at Appalachian State University and author of Black Diplomacy: African Americans and the State Department, 1945-1969 and The Color of Empire: Race and American Foreign Relations, and James Dandridge II, President of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers Foundation, former Foreign Service Officer and friend of Ambassador of Terence Todman. Erika Manouselis, Manager of the Future of Diplomacy Project, and Korde Inniss, MPA 2023 and Belfer Young Leader Fellow, served as moderators.
For more information: belfercenter.org/event/american-diplomat-screening-panel-discussion
