The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project Information Series CLAUDIA E. ANYASO Interviewed by: Charles Stuart Kennedy Initial interview date: September 15, 2009 Copyright 2011 ADST TABLE OF CONTENTS Bac ground Born and raised in North Carolina Racial segregation Environment Education Blac activists Morgan State University( American University Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, Social changes NAACP Martin -uther .ing Prison Baltimore racial environment Professor Cliff Duran /. Edgar Hoover 1adsden2 Alabama4 Field Secretary2 SNCC 1563 Freedom Rides Racial environment Marlon Brando visit .u .lu8 .lan Rosa Par s Martin -uther .ing Demonstrations Marion Barry Baltimore2 MD4 Student at Morgan State University 1563-1567 Visit to Salisbury2 MD Sto ely Carmichael Ford Foundation Foreign Affairs Scholars Program USAID internships 1 Washington2 DC4 Student2 American University 1567-1565 School of International Service State Department4 Bureau of Intelligence and Research 1568-1570 Africa Research Dealing with the press Robert Baum African Studies Association Africa Bureau established Ralph Bunche State Department4 Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs( E8change Policy 1570-1573 Officer International Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday -uncheon 1roup Allison Palmer Women?s Action 1roup African-American 1roup Position of blac s in State operations Carol -aise Foreign Affairs Scholars Program Minorities in State Department Harriet Elam State Department4 Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs( Egypt Cultural 1573-1578 E8change Officer African-American Institute Egyptian student e8change program Youth E8change Program Hubert Humphrey Program President?s Emergency Relief program for HIVAAIDS Millennium Challenge Corporation Binational Commission Egyptian visiting groups Hope and -ight Foundation Ambassador and Mrs. Ashraf 1horbal State Department4 Office Middle East Affairs( Policy Officer 1578-1580 Fulbright Program StateAUSIA merger Assassination of Anwar Sadat /ewishAAmerican organiBations American-Israeli Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC, Israeli leaders State Department4 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs4 1580-158C 2 Supervisory Academic E8change Officer -agos2 Nigeria4 Cultural Affairs Officer 158C-1588 Husband Biafra War Tribes DE8cursionE Tour Security Environment Operations Whitney Young -ibrary Embassy OrganiBation Ato Vaughn Richards Student E8changes University of -agos Connections with US Universities -iving conditions Polygamy Recollections Ambassador Hermann Eilts Tutan hamen E8hibit Cairo museum Ping-pong diplomacy Beverly Carter Thursday -uncheon 1roup Blac s in the Foreign Service African-American FSOs Abuja2 Nigeria4 Branch Public Affairs Officer 1553-1557 Drugs American wives of Nigerians Doris Dada Churches Ambassador Princeton -yman Martin -uther .ing Foreign diplomatic missions Musical programs Husband Islam Yoruba Ban ing security problems 1overnment 1eneral Idi Buhari Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Soviets 3 Women?s issues Babangida coup Oil wealth Environment USIS Port-au-Prince2 Haiti4 Cultural Affairs Officer 1588-1550 Ambassador Brunson Mc.inley Political environment President Ertha Trouillot President Aristide Ton Ton Macoutes Spea er programs Haitian art Sainte Trinite musical school .atherine Dunham Alvin Ailey American Ballet Company Dance and music programs Social classes USAID Voodoo Dancing French influence Family Niamey2 Niger4 Public Affairs Officer 1550-1553 Uranium Economy Past slave trade Tuaregs US Ambassadors American Cultural Center USAID Peace Corps English language teaching program Coup -ibyan activities .uwait War Anti-US demonstrations Embassy morale Schooling Borno Wadobi Religious groups Archaeology Promoting democracy C Abuja2 Nigeria4 Public Affairs Officer 1553-1557 Dictator Sani Abacha Restrictions Environment Women?s and youth organiBations Corruption American Studies Conference 1overnment Clar University team Ibo Washington2 DC( USIA4 Des Officer2 Anglophone West Africa 1557-1555 -uanda environment Angola land mines Education and media programs Angola government CongoAAngola rivalry Oil MoBambiGue HYPIC program USIAAState integration Industrial College of the Armed Forces 1555-2000 Comments on Course of Instruction Colleagues Department of Defense4 StateADOD E8change( /oint Chiefs of 2000-2002 Staff2 East Africa politicalAmilitary planning Somalia Travels in Africa Terrorist Pentagon attac - 5A11 Osama bin -aden IraG USAF logistics EthiopiaAEritrea Abuja2 Nigeria4 Public Affairs Officer 2002-2006 American staff MagaBine Magama Al Haeda Islam HIV AIDS President Obasanjo 1overnment Elections 5 State Department4 Office Director2 Public Affairs I Diplomacy2 2006-2005 Africa Bureau Budget Operations Assistant Secretary /endayi FraBer Programs .aren Hughes President?s Emergency Relief Plan for HIV AIDS (PEPFAR, USAID Millennium Challenge 1rant President 1eorge Bush Retirement 2005 INTERVIEW Q: Today is the 15th of September 2009 and this is an interview with Claudia, C-L- -U-D-I- , E. Anyaso, A-N-Y- -S-,, and you go by Claudia- ANYASO4 I do. Q: Claudia, what is the derivation of that name- ANYASO4 Well Anyaso is my husband?s name and he is from Eastern Nigeria. It?s not that common but it?s an Ibo name. Q: Do you .now what it means- ANYASO4 Yes. It means Dpowerful personE or a person who has great influence in the community. Q: I always as. because I0m told Kennedy in the original 1aelic means ugly head. So I can as. that one, I can almost always top whomever. Anyway, Claudia this is being done on behalf of the ssociation of Diplomatic Studies and Training and I am Charles Stuart Kennedy. Claudia let0s start at the beginning. 2hen and where were you born- ANYASO4 I was born in Northampton County2 North Carolina and I was born October 302 15CC. North Hampton County is probably one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. Q: Is that in the Piedmont or where- 6 ANYASO4 It?s not far from Richmond. It is about 5C miles south of Richmond and it?s one of about four of what they call the Blac counties2 very2 very heavy concentrations of African- Americans. Q: It0s sort of around the Dismal Swamp or something- ANYASO4 Yes2 not too far from that. Q: ,h, just go to the Dismal Swamp and turn left or something li.e that. 2ell let0s tal. a bit about your family. Let0s tal. on your father0s side, what do you .now about them- ANYASO4 Well we now Guite a bit about them because my cousin -isa 1ladden as a high school student in Baltimore decided to find out about a relative who was a legislator during Reconstruction. Another cousin2 Betty Barbara Bell /ones a history teacher in North Carolina researched her side of the family and came up with a Confederate 1eneral. So we had a couple of illustrious ancestors. My father was a Rawls2 R-A-W---E-S he spelled it but his ancestor spelled it R-A-W---S. He was a farmer2 Ned Rawls. Edward Ned Rawls was a farmer2 a teacher and he was a State legislator during Reconstruction. He married a woman who was a Ransom. We have been having a Bell Ransom family reunion I thin for 31 years now. She was the daughter of a Confederate general and his slave Emma. So on one side we?ve got an African-American who was rather active during Reconstruction2 and we have a Confederate general who was a U.S. Senator and a consul to Me8ico. That sort of wraps it up on my father?s side. Q: Do you .now it is sort of fascinating these connections, Blac.-2hite connections down in the South- Do you .now the relationship between 1eneral Ransom and his daughter and all- ANYASO4 We?ve done some more research. In fact2 the North Carolina historical society has been loo ing into this. Unfortunately2 we don?t have many personal facts about the relationship. There are no written records or oral history to point to. Much of the land where my relatives now live and farm belonged either to Ned Rawls or to the Ransoms so I thin he beGueathed some land to her2 his daughter?s people and it?s Guite e8tensive. The Bell- Ransoms are still farming and have one of the only family owned cotton gins in the south. The Ransoms (the white side of the family, still grow peanuts or soy beans and are engaged in tree farming. There is a cemetery2 but the old plantation house is gone. Historical mar ers indicate the civil war battles fought in the area and there is a mar er for 1eneral Ransom. Q: ,n your father0s side what did his father do- ANYASO4 They became farmers. Q: Farmers huh, how did he become a farmer- I mean did they come out of the slave heritage- ANYASO4 They had to come out of that. Though after being emancipated they owned their own land and were never sharecroppers. 7 Q: I would thin. so. ANYASO4 Jbecause Ned Rawls was born a slave and so then his children weren?t2 I don?t thin 2 slaves. But they always had a great deal of pride in owning their own property and being free. They weren?t sharecroppers. Now on my mom?s side we had sharecroppers and of course2 they farmed too. Q: Sharecroppers were people who didn0t own the land but were sort of tenant farmers. ANYASO4 That?s right. Q: And they gave a portion or a share of what their crops to the owners8 ANYASO4 Of the land. Q: 8of the land. ,ften they were easily dispossessed and so this really set up an almost class system. This also was true for both 2hites and Blac.s down in the South. How did your mother and father meet- ANYASO4 They met in high school. It is the great leveler2 the great community integrator. They met in 1umberry High School. 1umberry is one of the areas down there. Q: Did your mother then became a farmer0s wife- 2as this8 ANYASO4 They were high school classmates and sweethearts2 got married( I have a brother who is about a year older than I am. But when I was si8 months old they joined that great Blac migration to the North. Q: Yes.