The Association of Black American Ambassadors (ABAA) joins the nation and people of conscience around the world, in mourning the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Ahmed Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other unarmed Black Americans.

The ABAA condemns the actions that led to the death of George Floyd, which once again bring attention to the longstanding systemic and systematic discrimination against Black people.

Equally, the ABAA censures and renounces the mindset and actions borne of racism, sexism and anti-immigrant attitudes that risk making it acceptable to take innocent lives which is antithetical to American and international human rights law.

As the organization representing the country's most seasoned Black American diplomats, we believe strongly that equal rights and complete pursuit of justice is but the first step needed to rebuild our own citizens' confidence in our democratic system and values.

Below is a list of ABAA members who have signed the letter, along with their previous post(s) of Edward J. Perkins

President, ABAA

Cynthia H. Akuetteh: Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe

Bernadette Allen: Niger

C. Pat Alsup: The Gambia

Shirley E. Barnes: Republic of Madagascar

Joyce Barr: US Ambassador retired

Clyde Bishop: Republic of the Marshall Islands

Carol Moseley Braun: New Zealand

Aurelia E. Brazeal: Micronesia, Kenya, Ethiopia

Pamela E. Bridgewater: The Republic of Benin and The Republic of Ghana

Reuben E. Brigety: The African Union

Sue K. Brown: Montenegro

Johnnie Carson: Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs

Cook, Suzan Johnson: Ambassador- at- Large For International Religious Freedom

Ruth A. Davis: The Republic of Benin and Director General of the Foreign Service

Horace D. Dawson: Botswana

Harriet L. Elam-Thomas: Senegal

Jendayi Frazer: The Republic of South Africa, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

James Gadsden: Iceland

Irvin Hicks Sr.: Ethiopia

Bonnie Jenkins: Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs

Howard F. Jeter: Nigeria

Mosina Jordan: Central African Republic

Kenton W. Keith: Qatar

Delano E. Lewis: The Republic of South Africa

Dennise Mathieu: Niger and Namibia

C. Steven McGann: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, The Kingdom of Tonga an Tuvalu

James McGee: Swaziland, Madagascar and the Comoros

Donald McHenry: United Nations

Elizabeth McKune: Qatar

George Moose: Career Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Bismarck Myrick: Kingdom of Lesotho

Wanda Nesbitt: adagascar, Cote d'Ivorie and Namibia

Nichols, Brian: Zimbabwe (presently serving)

Adrienne O'Neal: Republic of Cape Verde

Susan D. Page: Republic of South Sudan

Larry Palmer: Republic of Honduras and Barbados and Eastern Caribbean

Maurice Parker: Kingdom of Lesotho and Republic of Liberia

Edward J. Perkins: Republic of Liberia, United Nations, The Republic of South Africa and the Director General of the Foreign Service

June Carter Perry: Lesotho and Sierra Leone

Robert C. Perry: Central African Republic

Charles Ray: Cambodia and Zimbabwe

Helen Patricia Reed-Rowe: Republic of Palau

Reed, Frankie: Fiji,

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