America 250 in Color
Series Introduction
America 250! With an administration that seems hell-bent on squashing any recognition of Black struggle, triumph, and achievement in our nation’s history, it’s a hard thing to try to think about celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, particularly for Black Americans. However, as two proud Black Americans who have read about, heard about, and seen the power of Black achievement and excellence, domestically and globally, we find it a perfect moment to celebrate America 250 by highlighting the contributions of Black people to our nation’s birth and growth. Specifically, both of us have spent our careers (at different moments and in different capacities) focused on strengthening relations between Americans and citizens of other nations through diplomacy and people-to-people engagement and exchange. One of us, Charles A. Ray, has been a military officer and enlisted man, a professional diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, and a U.S. Ambassador to two nations (Cambodia from 2002-2005 and Zimbabwe from 2009-2012). The other, Dr. Carlton McLellan, has spent nearly 30 years serving at nonprofit organizations and supporting multilateral agencies as a citizen diplomat and expert on people-to-people and knowledge exchange activities.
Both of us believe in the ideals on which America was founded and have spent our careers promoting those values, even when the nation has fallen short. We both agree that we have never been a perfect nation and that the sins of our forefathers should always be acknowledged, but used as tools to help us grow, become better, and celebrate the people and moments when we overcame as a nation. This includes the long road traveled by Black Americans and the acknowledgment of our struggles to gain equal citizenship and rights in the nation that we have fought and died for, just like so many others.
As such, this series of short essays – America 250 in Color – will focus on telling and celebrating the stories of Black people who have impacted American history (between 1776 and the present). We will tell 25 such stories and will largely focus on those who might not be as well known, although there will certainly be some more familiar names in the series. Each Black American we will profile, demonstrated, exhibited, and even fought for – in their own way – the long-held ideals of liberty, equality, and justice for all that the nation was founded upon. Presently, these ideals are under threat, and as we reflect on their genesis, which was the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there is no more perfect time to remind our country of its rich historical past and the triumphs and achievements of Black patriots who have always fought for America and believed in it.
Therefore, during this year’s America 250 celebration (over the course of 2026), we will share short stories about 25 Black people who have helped shape our nation, with particular focus, where possible, on their foreign and diplomatic achievements. As we are both practitioners in diplomacy and international affairs, our list of 25 Black American patriots naturally focuses on that area of our nation’s history. However, the international engagements or influences of our chosen 25, varies and includes soldiers who fought (literally) for America against foreign adversaries; sports figures who combatted racism and inequality at home, only to go on and represent successfully on a global stage; Ambassadors who managed American interests in other nations; and others who had both domestic and/or global impacts worthy of celebrating as part of America 250. Among the stories we will tell are the likes of Oliver Cromwell, Mary “Stagecoach Mary” Fields, Ambassador Clifton Wharton, Sr., Althea Gibson, Ambassador Pierre-Richards Prosper, and 20 others.
Charles A. Ray served 20 years in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam. He retired as a senior US diplomat, serving 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, with assignments as ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe, and was the first American consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He also served in senior positions with the Department of Defense. He is a member of the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA), the American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD), a fellow of the American College of National Security Leaders, a member of the board of directors of the Cold War Museum, and a member of The Steady State, a nonprofit organization of more than 340 former national security professionals. Since retiring from government in 2012, he has been consulting and writing, publishing over 400 works of fiction and nonfiction, and he is a teaching faculty member in Arizona State University’s graduate program in International Affairs and Leadership.
Dr. Carlton McLellan (Ph.D.) is a senior diplomacy and international affairs professional and researcher. He is the Founding Director of The American Ambassadors Project and a senior fellow with the Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA). Dr. McLellan’s professional and research interests in Black contributions to diplomacy and foreign affairs led him to found The American Ambassadors Project, the first comprehensive effort to compile, organize, and report on the lives and contributions of Black Americans who have held the title and rank of U.S. Ambassador. In his 25+ year career he has held research fellowships at the Association of Diplomatic Studies & Training (ADST) and at educational institutions in South Africa; worked or consulted at internationally-focused nonprofits such as FHI 360, Global Ties U.S., the Academy for Educational Development (AED), the Institute of International Education (IIE), Meridian International Center, and WorldChicago, all managing U.S. Department of State public diplomacy programs; and at multilateral agencies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the World Bank.