(ConservativeInsider.org) – US Presidents did not officially designate February as Black History Month until 1976, although the movement began back in 1926. Nearly a century ago, various black Americans began publicly sharing information about African American history during the second week of February, which holds the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Over the following decades, people have participated in this season in different ways. One US diplomat started quite a bit of controversy recently when she tried to engage followers on Twitter. Here’s what happened.
According to the Daily Caller, on Wednesday, February 15, Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker, who is the highest-ranking American diplomat in Afghanistan, tweeted the following question to the world: “Are Afghans familiar with #BlackGirlMagic and the movement it inspired? Do Afghan girls need a similar movement? What about Afghan Women? Teach me, ready to learn.”
We regret to inform you that this isn’t satire https://t.co/O06s7qBdA6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 19, 2023
At the end of the tweet, Decker asked for singers Beyonce and Lizzo, as well as actress Regina King, to respond. The hashtag “BlackGirlMagic” has been used to encourage and empower Black women to share their skills and worth with the world. The tweet has since been deleted, and the US ambassador sent out the following apology:
Sometimes our best intentions go awry because we haven’t listened enough or don’t truly understand others’ lived experience. My efforts to celebrate courageous African Americans this month fall in that category. I apologize to any and all who I may have offended or hurt.
— Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker (@USAmbKabul) February 16, 2023
This tweet and apology come as the Taliban, who has been running the nation’s government since President Joe Biden took US troops out of the nation last August, continues to take away the rights of women in the country. Right now, they are banned from going to multiple public gathering places, such as parks, as well as moving about town or the country without a male relative with them. Their ability to access education is also limited.
While Decker may have hoped to bring attention to the plight of females in Afghanistan, the online community did not think she went about it very well. Even State Department spokesperson Ned Price called the tweets “inappropriate and ineffective.”
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