A senior State Department official met with Ibram X. Kendi, the controversial critical race theory proponent and Boston University professor who has called for the creation of a federal “department of antiracism” with unmatched constitutional authority.Desirée Cormier Smith, the U.S. special representative for racial equity and justice, traveled to Boston to meet with Kendi earlier this month.In a summary of the meeting posted to Cormier Smith’s official Twitter account, she described discussing with Kendi, who leads BU’s Center for Antiracist Research, “the ongoing, global impact of white supremacy & the importance of collective effort across sectors to build a world where racial & ethnic equity & social justice prevail.”Given her role as a senior State Department official, Cormier Smith’s move to huddle with Kendi is a noteworthy one, potentially shedding light on State’s diplomatic efforts to make racial equity a center of the administration’s foreign policy. Cormier Smith has previously called for the abolition of the Electoral College, asserting that “racism and slavery are at the root of this peculiar way to elect a president.”

The position was born out of the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd; but is the product of decades of activism for the State Department to advocate on a broader level for the rights of historically marginalized individuals. It joins the ranks of several other issue-oriented Special Representative (S/R) positions established in the department in recent years, including the Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, and Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons.

“USAID will develop strategic guidance that outlines an approach to embedding racial and ethnic equity considerations in USAID policies”.