Archive - October 2021

  New York Times bestselling author Laurence Leamer (Nepal 1965-67) reveals the complex web of relationships and scandalous true stories behind Truman Capote’s never-published final novel, Answered Prayers–the dark secrets, tragic glamour, and Capote’s ultimate betrayal of the group of female friends he called his “swans.”   “There are certain women,” Truman Capote wrote, “who, though perhaps not born rich, are born to be rich.” Barbara “Babe” Paley, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Slim Hayward, Pamela Churchill, C. Z. Guest, Lee Radziwill (Jackie Kennedy’s sister)—they were the toast of midcentury New York, each beautiful and distinguished in her own way. Capote befriended them, received their deepest confidences, and ingratiated himself into their lives. Then, in one fell swoop, he betrayed them in the most surprising and startling way possible. Bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer delves into the years following the acclaimed publication of Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1958 and In Cold Blood in 1966, when Capote . . .

  Cohen Film Collection is working on a restoration of “A Walk on the Moon,” by the late Raphael D. Silver. The 1987 drama, about a Peace Corps volunteer who travels to a Colombian village, stars Kevin Anderson and Terry Kinney. The restoration was part of an agreement with filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver, Raphael D. Silver’s wife, who died last year. The story Everett Jones (Kevin Anderson) is a Peace Corps volunteer, bubbling o’er with idealism. To his surging delight, he learns he has been assigned to a remote, backward Colombian village. When Anderson arrives, he is confused by the cynical attitude of his predecessor (Terry Kinney). Even more confusing–though it won’t be for long–is that the villagers greet the ebullient Anderson’s arrival with silent, sullen indifference.

In 2019, 1 out of every 3 Peace Corps Volunteers experienced sexual assault. Legislation like the Kate Puzey Act (2013) and the Farr/Castle Act (2018) were passed to protect Volunteers, but more work needs to be done to ensure the safety of everyone who serves in the Peace Corps. Join RPCVs of Washington D.C. and Boston Area RPCVs starting Wednesday, October 13 for a 4-part series of events on sex- and gender-based violence. These sessions will include storytelling and a community-building circle, a session specific to the experiences of BIPOC RPCVs, and the development of recommendations moving forward. Register below to receive one link for all four events. Please feel free to attend as many as you would like. The Zoom link will be provided by email and a calendar invite for each event. Wednesday, October 13th, 8:30-10 PM EDT: Storytelling and Community Building Thursday, October 21st, 5:30-7 PM EDT: BIPOC . . .

Acting Director’s Message Welcome back to Inside Peace Corps, where we share updates on our work, both at headquarters and in the countries where our Volunteers are invited to serve. We have celebrated the legacy of the Peace Corps over the past weeks with anniversaries of the signing of the Peace Corps Act and of 60-year partnerships with Ghana, Tanzania, Colombia, and the Philippines. After attending these events – surrounded by partners, host community members, returned Peace Corps Volunteers, staff, and other supporters – I am in awe of the strength of the Peace Corps network, the values we live by, and the power of service to unite. This network has stepped up in countless, innovative ways to advance the Peace Corps’ mission of promoting world peace and friendship during this historic time. Those efforts have included virtual engagements with host country partners, staff programming outreach, interagency collaborations, and above-and-beyond . . .

  October 8, 2021 WASHINGTON – Today, the Peace Corps provided an update on the agency’s progress to strengthen its volunteer safety, and sexual assault risk reduction and response efforts over the last six months. “When I stepped into the role of Acting Director, I called for all Peace Corps staff to examine how our agency can better meet our service commitments to both volunteers and the community members we work alongside,” said Peace Corps Acting Director Carol Spahn. “This deep, structural work involves upgrading all of our systems, including and especially those related to sexual assault risk reduction and response. Peace Corps staff care deeply about the safety of our volunteers and, as an agency, we are continuously learning, wholeheartedly dedicated to reducing risk, wherever possible, and committed to providing victim-centered, trauma-informed care.” In the spring, the Peace Corps committed to making specific, systemic improvements to sexual-assault-related policies and . . .

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ idea from Alana DeJoseph’s (Mali 1992–94) Over the last 60 years that the Peace Corps has been a part of America (and the world) it has influenced our culture in many ways. One of the funniest experiences for us RPCVs is when we hear a popular movie or television character referring to the Peace Corps. So let’s have a challenge: In the comments below, please list any popular media mentions of the Peace Corps! To get you started, here are two: 1985 — American comedy film directed by Nicholas Meyer and starring Tom Hanks and John Candy: Volunteers 2018 — Animated TV series Rick and Morty: Season 4, Episode 8

 The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed Rep. Garamendi’s H.R.4996, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, last Thursday (9/30) by a strong bipartisan vote of 44 to 4. The 4 GOP no votes were Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Ronny Jackson (R-TX). The Committee defeated the only other amendment to H.R.4996, offered by Rep. Perry, which would have effectively defunded the Peace Corps (indefinitely) and did not solve the problem it purported to solve. Here is Rep. Garamendi’s press release on Committee passage of his bill, which you are welcome to share: https://garamendi.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-foreign-affairs-committee-passes-garamendi-s-peace-corps-reauthorization The Committee’s ANS made some substantive changes to the bill necessary in order to earn the support of Ranking Member McCaul (R-TX) and also incorporate feedback from the Peace Corps on the overall reauthorization. Team Garamendi is still digesting those changes and hopes to send a more detailed update in the . . .

This is a blog item I published in 2016. As we talk about China recently on our site I thought I would repost this blog item. After reading The Inside Story of the Peace Corps in China, I thought we should remember the first group of PCV who went from China into international careers in journalism. — JC Although the Peace Corps has given a start to many well-known writers — Paul Theroux, Maria Thomas, Philip Margolin, Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, among them — it has fostered relatively few journalists and editors. One of the first journalists was Al Kamen, a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic during the early 1960s. Recently retired after 35 years at the Washington Post, Kamen wrote a column, “In the Loop,” and also covered the State Department and local and federal courts. He assisted his Post colleague Bob Woodward with reporting for The Final Days and The Brethren. Other Peace Corps . . .

from THE HILL BY REED HASTINGS AND GLENN BLUMHORST, Opinion Contributors 09/30/21 Americans just spent the past two decades trying to rebuild Afghanistan from the top down. Our military led the way, with huge sacrifice, and the American people spent more than $2 trillion dollars on this effort. While hopes were raised, particularly for women, progress was fleeting. Our mission was not achieved. One could be forgiven then, for believing that American engagement overseas is a pointless task. And one could even be forgiven for thinking that Americans should choose to stop engaging the world because of what we’ve just gone through, and that instead, we should just retreat, self-isolate, and give up. Yet that would be a grievous mistake. Not only because it would undermine America’s security and prosperity, but because it just isn’t true. We’re writing this piece because we, as former Peace Corps volunteers, have seen the other side . . .