On a frigid January morning in 1993, Maya Angelou stood on the balcony of the Capitol and recited her poem, "On the Pulse of the Morning." She implored the audience to "lift up your hearts," for "Each new hour holds new chances/For a new beginning." Twenty-eight years later, another Black poet, Amanda Gorman, took the same stage, reciting, "The Hill We Climb." She, too, implored the audience of millions around the country to recognize their potential: "Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It's the past we step into and how we repair it."
This year's Black History Month theme, "African Americans and the Arts," highlights the great African American poets, actors, authors, and musicians who have helped shape the American story - and inspired us to work toward a more just, equitable, and compassionate future.
USAID is committed to helping advance that vision. While each of us has a role to play, we know our Agency must prioritize the hiring and retention of staff who look like America in order to better reflect America's insights, creativity, and dynamism. We know that we have much more work to do. Black Americans, like all people of color, are underrepresented in senior positions and policy and technical roles at USAID.
However, we are working hard to improve and are committed to making progress. We are growing programs such as the Payne Fellowship, which provides financial support to underrepresented groups in the Foreign Service, and the Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) Partnership Initiative. Last year, USAID launched a memorandum of understanding with the Office of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Development and International Cooperation, which will help us learn more about the HBCU community while providing its members with more information about USAID. We are also continuing to grow our connections with HBCUs, and over the past two years I have launched meaningful new partnerships with Delaware State University, Tuskegee University, Alcorn State University, Morehouse College, and Fayetteville State University. For example, through our agreement with Delaware State - a Black land-grant research university - USAID staff will serve as Experts in Residence, providing lectures and mentorships to students.
This month, I'm grateful to all in the USAID community who are joining in celebrating Black Americans' extraordinary contributions to our history - and particularly the artists who have long helped us to hear silenced histories, see through different perspectives, and learn vital lessons for our future.
