US Agency for International Development Reviews

Many reports will tell you that there is an underrepresentation of marginalized, non-dominant racial and ethnic groups in USAID’s workforce. For example, an overall decline in the percentage of Black employees, signaling an issue with retention and lower promotion outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities. However, the data does not reflect the leadership's God complex, which perpetuates systematic discrimination. It is clear that USAID does not offer a safe and welcoming environment for Blacks, Browns, Indigenous Peoples, and People of Color. And those who have survived the Agency have done so at the expense of selling their soul and sanity. This sacrifice often comes with a hefty price forcing POCs to leave their authentic selves at the door while tiptoeing around colleagues and their feelings and sacrificing their intellectual integrity. It is common for them to minimize or shrink themselves in order to avoid the harmful thropes that often accompany POCs at work, such as the angry Black woman, the oppressed Middle Eastern woman, the East Asian model minority, or the terrorist lone wolf. Although the new administration is working to address racial and ethnic disparities, these efforts have been met with skepticism at best and blocked at worst by those with more sinister agendas. The situation isn't all gloom and doom. People at USAID fall into three types. Some allies welcome change. These everyday heroes call for change and actively advocate for it. Then there are the gatekeepers who want to keep diversity out. They're the racist colleagues who think if you're not white, you shouldn't be an FSO. They're the ones who align with white nationalist ideologies. And just like those folks have infiltrated other US government agencies, they are also at USAID. And then you have the ones who hide under the guise of civility and diplomacy and refuse to rock the boat. They will witness the tragedy of your pain and say and do absolutely nothing, as they will not risk their promotion for you. Some will tell you it depends on the teams, but every corner of the Agency has a cancer chipping away at it. Even the teams that should be working on diversity and inclusion do not represent the values they claim to upload. In fact, I found them to be the worst. To survive it, you must numb yourself dry of every emotion, and only then can you stomach it. But how long can you do this? Three years? Or five years? Twelve years? All for the sake of development results that are not sustainable. That, friends, is another discussion for another day.

If you are a GS employee you are a second class citizen at USAID. The FSO staff has free reign to harass and intimidate GS staff. GS staffers are managed by FSO who do not like nor are well-positioned to manage. USAID is largely an organization run by a white, male paradigm. It is a racist, sexist, classist place where people get beat up and are told if they file a grievance it will kill their career. Extremely dysfunctional and threatening environment.